Free Everything is Nice by Jane Bowles Page B

too."
    "I'd love to," he said.
    His question seemed more and more difficult to present. By now it seemed to him that it resembled more a declaration of love than a simple question.
    Finally he tried again. "Are you going to buy another snake?" But he still could not ask her why she had been so careless.
    "No," said Lilina. "I'm going to buy a rabbit."
    "A rabbit?" he said. "But rabbits aren't as intelligent or as beautiful as snakes. You had better buy another snake like Victoria."
    "Rabbits have lots of children," said Lilina. "Why don't we buy a rabbit together?"
    Enrique thought about this for a while. He began to feel almost lighthearted, and even a little wicked.
    "All right," he said. "Let's buy two rabbits, a man and a woman." They finished their ices and talked together more and more excitedly about the rabbits.
    On the way home, Lilina squeezed Enrique's hand and kissed him all over his cheeks. He was red with pleasure.
    At the square they parted, after promising to meet again that afternoon.
    It was a cloudy day, rather colder than usual, and Señora Ramirez decided to dress in her mourning clothes, which she always carried with her. She hung several strands of black beads around her neck and powdered her face heavily. She and Consuelo began to walk slowly around the patio.
    Consuelo blew her nose. "Ay, mamà," she said. "Isn't it true that there is a greater amount of sadness in the world than happiness?"
    "I don't know why you are thinking about this," said her mother.
    "Because I have been counting my happy days and my sad days. There are many more sad days, and I am living now at the best age for a girl. There is nothing but fighting, even at balls. I would not believe any man if he told me he liked dancing better than fighting."
    "This is true," said her mother. "But not all men are really like this. There are some men who are as gentle as little lambs. But not so many."
    "I feel like an old lady. I think that maybe I will feel better when I'm married." They walked slowly past the traveler's door.
    "I'm going inside," said Consuelo suddenly.
    "Aren't you going to sit in the patio?" her mother asked her.
    "No, with all those children screaming and the chickens and the parrot talking and the white dog. And it's such a terrible day. Why?"
    Señora Ramirez could not think of any reason why Consuelo should stay in the patio. In any case she preferred to be there alone if the stranger should decide to talk to her.
    "What white dog?" she said.
    "Señora Espinoza has bought a little white dog for the children."
    The wind was blowing and the children were chasing each other around the back patio. Señora Ramirez sat down on one of the little straight-backed chairs with her hands folded in her lap. The thought came into her mind that most days were likely to be cold and windy rather than otherwise, and that there would be many days to come exactly like this one. Unconsciously she had always felt that these were the days preferred by God, although they had never been much to her own liking.
    The traveler was packing with the vivacity of one who is in the habit of making little excursions away from the charmed fold to return almost immediately.
    "Wow!" he said joyfully to himself. "I sure have been giddy in this place, but the bad dream is over now." It was nearly bus time. He carried his bags out to the patio, and was confused to find Señora Ramirez sitting there. He prompted himself to be pleasant.
    "Señora," he said, walking over to her. "It's goodby now till we meet again."
    "What do you say?" she asked.
    "I'm taking the twelve o'clock bus. I'm going home."
    "Ah! You must be very happy to go home." She did not think of looking away from his face. "Do you take a boat?" she asked, staring harder.
    "Yes. Five days on the boat."
    "How wonderful that must be. Or maybe it makes you sick." She put her hand over her stomach.
    "I have never been seasick in my life."
    She said nothing to this.
    He backed against the parrot