Free The Memoir of Johnny Devine by Camille Eide Page A

morning,
Millie.”
    “ Mornin’, Miz
Eliza.”
    Eliza smoothed her curls and followed Millie
inside.
    John appeared from the hallway, looking
dashing in a white shirt, tweed slacks, and a silk tie.
    Eliza smoothed her hair again.
    He motioned Eliza into the library. “After
you, Mrs. Saunderson.”
    While John headed toward his chair by the
fireplace, Eliza settled at her desk. She went straight to work,
resuming where she’d left off on Friday. Knowing he was in the room
made the back of her neck tingle, similar to the way it tingled
after leaving the theater and sensing she was being followed.
    After the movie .
    The one in which John kissed a woman
speechless. Which Eliza did not care to think about—ever. And
especially not when she needed to concentrate.
    “ Mrs. Saunderson, may I
ask you a question?” John said.
    She turned to face him. “Yes?”
    He was seated in his upholstered chair with
a Bible open on the table beside him. “I don’t mean to sound
impatient, but do you have an idea how long before we can begin
with the dictation?” The rigidity of his posture made him look as
if he were in pain.
    “ As a matter of fact, I
should finish your opening chapters this morning. I think what we
have so far should meet with your editor’s approval.”
    “ Fine.”
    Eliza couldn’t decide if he was suffering
pain or some other disturbance. He seemed engrossed in his study,
so she put her curiosity aside and returned to her work.
    Millie passed the library with a feather
duster, humming. She broke into the words, “Oh, I need Thee … every
hour I need Thee …” She moved slowly through the sitting room,
giving a little stroke here and there to a lampshade or the top of
a perfectly clean chair.
    By the time Eliza had completed the opening
chapters, John had resumed his habit of pacing the library, pages
in hand. “Okay, John, I think we’re—”
    John?
    He pivoted slowly and gave her an inquiring
look.
    Well, she had been thinking of him
as John, which actually went a long way in helping her forget that
he was Johnny Devine . Which she needed to do all the more now, after seeing him
in that film. And she had to call him something.
    “ We’re ready to proceed,”
she went on, cheeks warm. “Where would you like to start?” She
turned her chair to face him with her pencil and steno pad and
waited.
    “ Could you please read me
the last page you typed?” He came toward the desk.
    She did as asked and then looked up.
    “ We’ll begin with the
heading The First Years ,” he said.
    Eliza wrote quickly. “Do you want to start
off by reading me what you have written?”
    “ Oh. I assumed …” His brow
furrowed slightly. “Is that what you would prefer?”
    “ Sure. We can see how that
reads and go from there . ”
    John opened his mouth to speak but
hesitated. He looked at her ready pencil as though it were a
spoonful of bitter medicine. “Yes, about that. In case you haven’t
noticed … which is absurd since you’ve obviously noticed by now, my
… writing skills are only about as good as a ninth-grade education
can provide.”
    She didn’t mean to stare
at him but couldn’t help it . As far as the way John carried
himself, she would have never guessed he was a high school dropout.
He seemed so polished, so cultured. But as far as the issues with
the writing, this certainly explained a lot. It also explained the
man’s frustration at her many interruptions to correct his work.
She winced. What an absolute heel she was. No one liked being
constantly reminded of his or her shortcomings.
    She of all people should know that.
    “ I left school at fourteen
to find work. The Great War changed things for me. Drastically.”
When he looked up, something was buried deep in his expression.
Something like pain or shame or a mix of the two.
    “ I imagine a lot of people
found their lives in upheaval at that time,” she said lightly. She
had long suspected that her parents had been scarred by the