Free Boys & Girls Together by William Goldman Page B

said the wrong address. Walt shook his head. He remembered. End of Linden Lane. That was what he had said and Gino had answered I’ll find it. Walt jumped out of the tree and did an awkward somersault on the grass. They always made him dizzy, but the grass was soft so he didn’t mind. He lay on his stomach and pushed his glasses up snug tight against the bridge of his nose with his left thumb before he began looking for a four-leaf clover. He was terrific at spotting four-leaf clovers, probably the best in the world. He never cared much for them but his mother loved them, so whenever he had nothing better to do he hunted them down and gave them to her. She always made a fuss and thanked him and that wasn’t so bad. Walt looked for a little but then stopped because where was Gino! Walt rolled onto his back but the clouds were too thin to hide any animals. And wasn’t that always the way? When you were in a hurry there’d be a whole menagerie over you and when you had time, nothing. Not even a cow; not even if you cheated. Walt stood and started spinning around and around. That really made him dizzy, much worse than the somersaulting, but he kept on until he almost fell back to earth. He lay in a heap, eyes closed, heart thumping. Where was he? Why did he say he was going to come if he wasn’t going to? He should never have told his mother and Maudie. Walt stood and thrust his arms out straight, making airplane noises. He was good at it but it bored him then, so he shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking aimlessly across the perfect lawn. “ Gino! ” he yelled suddenly, all he had. From somewhere came an answer, soft and far. “Walt? Walt?”
    Walt ran. He tore down the lawn to the driveway and then sped over the gravel toward the great stone posts at the end. Gino was standing framed between the posts at the edge of the driveway.
    “Hey, Gino!” Walt cried.
    “Hey, Walt!”
    “How long you been here?”
    “Hour.”
    “You have? You been here an hour, Gino?” They were standing side by side now and they shook hands. “Why didn’t you come in? You crazy?”
    “I just been waiting for you here.”
    “But you should have come in . That’s what you should have done. You crazy Gino.”
    “I can read.”
    “Read what?”
    Gino pointed.
    Walt stared at the wooden signs. PRIVATE DRIVEWAY. NO TRESPASSING. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED.
    “I ain’t no trespasser,” Gino said.
    “Oh them. They’re just there, y’know? Now c’mon.”
    “I ain’t no trespasser.”
    “Will you forget about them, huh?” And he pulled at Gino’s arm but Gino did not move. Walt pulled again and then he let go and ran at the signs. “I tell you they don’t mean anything! See?” And he started pulling at them but they were nailed in, so he grabbed a rock and started pounding with all his might until the wood began to splinter. “See? See? They don’t mean anything! Not a goddam thing! See! See, Gino! See!” He switched the rock to the other hand, crying like a fool, smashing until the wooden signs fell from the pillars to the ground, where he stamped them to death beneath his feet.
    Maudie approved of Gino and Emily was very kind, so the next recess Walt asked him over for lunch.
    “Got my lunch,” Gino said.
    “You got milk? You got dessert?”
    “No.”
    “Then come on.”
    So they walked to Linden Lane, quizzing each other on batting averages. (They were both fantastic on batting averages.) When they got to the house Walt opened the back screen door, careful not to let it slam, and preceded Gino up the steps. “Hey, Maudie.”
    “Hey Maudie what?”
    “Guess who I got with me?”
    “I got my own lunch,” Gino said quickly, holding up his brown paper sack.
    “He’s gonna have milk and dessert.”
    “That’s right,” Maudie said. “Course he is.” They sat at the kitchen table and she brought Gino a plate. He unfolded the brown paper bag, took out two sandwiches, then folded the bag again on