Free Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara Page A

was a boy, do you remember those trees? You must have been here during the holidays when we had a tree, weren t you, Caroline?
    No, I don t think I ever was. Julian used to hate me then, remember?
    Funny, isn t it? said Julian s mother. Tsih, when I look back. You re right. He didn t like to play with you, but my gracious, I don t think he disliked you. He was in awe of you. But we all were. Still are. Caroline gave her mother-in-law a hug. Oh, now, Mother, she said. Julian did hate me. Probably because I was older.
    Well, you wouldn t think it now, said the older woman. I mean that both ways. You wouldn t think he ever hated you, and you certainly wouldn t think you were older. Julian, why don t you go to the Y or something? Let me look. Turn your face over that way. & You are. You re getting a double chin. Julian, really.
    Very busy man, said Julian. Here we are, said the doctor. Drink this one, Caroline, and you and I can have another before we sit down.
    We can all have another one, said his wife, but we ll have to take it in to the table with us. I don t want to keep the girls any later than necessary. But that doesn t mean you re to bolt your food. Bad for the digestion.
    It is if you don t masticate said the doctor. Doctor, please don t say that, said his wife. Chew your food is just as good a word. Well, shall we have a toast?
    Yes, I think so, said the doctor. He raised the glass. God bless us, everyone, he said; and all momentarily serious and self-conscious, they drank their drinks. IV Caroline and Julian, in the car, waved to Dr. and Mrs. English, and then Julian slowly took his foot off the clutch and the car pulled away. The clock on the dashboard said 4:35. Julian reached in his pocket and took out the Christmassy envelope, which had been on his plate, exactly like the envelope that had been on Caroline s plate. He laid it in Caroline s lap. See how much it s for, he said. She opened the envelope and looked at the check. Two hundred and fifty, she said. How much was yours? he said. She opened her envelope. Same thing, she said. Two hundred and fifty. Really, that s too much. They re sweet. She stopped herself and he looked at her without turning. What is it? he inquired. Oh, she said. It s just that they re so swell. Your mother is such a darling. I don t see how you if she finds out about last night, your performance, do you realize how ashamed she ll be?
    She s my mother, he said. Yes, she is. It s pretty hard to believe sometimes.
    Am I going to be bawled out the rest of the way home? he said. No, she said. What s the use? What are you planning to do about Harry?
    Harry? I don t know. I could call him up, he said. No, that s not enough. I think the best thing is for you to take me home and then go to his house and apologize in person.
    Fat chance, said Julian. All right. But if you don t, I go to no more parties with you. That means I ll stay home from everything that we ve accepted, and another thing, our party is off. If you think I m going to make a spectacle of myself for people to talk about, going around to parties and having people feel sorry for me because of your behavior I just won t do it, Ju, I won t do it, and that s that.
    If there s anything I hate, it s that s that, he said. All right. I ll go to his house. He s probably forgotten about it, and my going there will bugger things up proper.
    Please promise me you won t bugger things up. You can handle him, Ju, if you re just careful. I didn t mean it when I said you couldn t. You can. Turn on some of that English charm and he ll fall for it. But please make it right so there won t be a situation for the rest of the holidays. Will you, darling? Her tone had changed completely, and her earnestness thrilled him. She was not quite so handsome when she was being earnest, but she so seldom wanted anything enough to be earnest about it that she became a new and rare Caroline. One condition, he said. What?
    Will you do it? he said. I won t promise till