雙語·摸彩：雪莉·杰克遜短篇小說選 發(fā)中的花椰菜

A Cauliflower in Her Hair

Mr. and Mrs. Garland and their daughter Virginia lived in a pleasant house in a pretty town and every night at seven they ate the agreeable dinner cooked by Agnes, the maid who cooked well and dusted adequately and made beds abominably. Mr. and Mrs. Garland belonged to two country clubs and Mr. Garland had a mustache; Mrs. Garland had given up evening gowns in favor of dinner dresses and had two fur coats, a leopard and an inferior mink. Virginia was in first year high school and went out with the captain of the basketball team. Every Saturday night Mr. Garland shook hands with this young man and they chatted jovially about the war until Virginia came down the stairs wearing her mother's perfume. Virginia was fifteen years old, Mr. Garland was thirty-nine, and Mrs. Garland was forty-one.

One evening at dinner—it would have been about twenty minutes past seven—Virginia remarked: “Mother, Millie said she'd be around tonight. Can I skip helping Agnes with the dishes?”

“What is Millie?” Mr. Garland inquired, regarding the cauliflower Agnes was offering, “a cow?”

Virginia giggled. “She looks a little bit like one,” she said. “Only she isn't. She's Millie, from school, She's coming over and we're going to do algebra.”

“Millie can wait while you help Agnes,” Mrs. Garland said. She looked at Virginia to make Virginia realize that Agnes must be kept in good humor. “It doesn't take ten minutes, and Millie can wait.”

“I'll entertain Millie,” Mr. Garland said helpfully, “Millie and I will do all your algebra. Used to be quite a hand at algebra,” he told Mrs. Garland solemnly.

“You're still quite a hand at talk,” Mrs. Garland said. “Take some cauliflower before it gets too cold. Agnes has to have some too, you know.”

“Millie hasn't been in school long,” Virginia said. “She didn't come until the second semester and I'm helping her catch up.”

“Very kind of you,” Mr. Garland said.

The doorbell rang, and Virginia dropped her napkin. “When she says early she means early,” she said.

“That would be Millie?” Mr. Garland inquired.

Virginia answered the door and Mr. and Mrs. Garland could hear her voice for a minute in the hall. Then she came back into the dining room, leading Millie. Millie was pretty and stupid-looking, and she had heavy black eyelashes and wore a great deal of lipstick.

“This is my mother and father,” Virginia said, sliding into her chair, “this is Millie. Pull up a chair, Millie.”

Mrs. Garland frowned slightly. “Have you had your dinner, Millie?”

“Yes,” Millie said. She looked at Virginia and giggled. “I ought to wait in the living room,” she said, “but Ginny said to come right on in.”

“Of course,” Mr. Garland said, “have some cauliflower?”

Millie giggled again, staring at Mr. Garland.

“If you don't care to eat it,” Mr. Garland said, “you could wear it in your hair.”

“My father never takes anything seriously,” Virginia said to Millie. “He's like that all the time, don't mind him.”

“Maybe you'll have some dessert with us, Millie?” Mrs. Garland said.

“No, thank you,” Millie said.

“If you eat anything,” Mr. Garland scowled ferociously at Millie, “you'll have to wash dishes. Anyone eats in this house, right after dinner they have to go out in the kitchen and wash dishes.”

“Charles!” Mrs. Garland said. “You'll frighten the child.”

“Millie isn't scared of anything, Mother,” Virginia said, “Millie and I can do anything.”

“I'll bet Millie can do anything,” Mr. Garland said. Mrs. Garland looked up.

“Virginia,” she said finally, “since you and Millie have to do algebra I'll explain to Agnes and she won't mind if you don't help her.”

“Hallelujah,” Virginia said. “Come on, Millie. Be excused, Mother?”

Mrs. Garland nodded and Virginia slid off her chair and ran out of the dining room, waving Millie to follow her.

Mr. and Mrs. Garland were quiet for a little while after Virginia and Millie had left the room, until finally Mrs. Garland remarked: “She doesn't seem like an awfully nice girl, does she, this Millie?”

“I don't know,” Mr. Garland said, putting down his coffee cup, “she looked all right to me.”

Mr. and Mrs. Garland were sitting quietly in the living room some time later, Mrs. Garland doing needlepoint—she was making a footstool—and Mr. Garland reading the Saturday Evening Post, when Virginia and Millie, heralded by a clatter of feet from upstairs, burst into the room.

“Mother,” Virginia cried as she came, “Mother, we finished our homework and can we go down and get a soda, Mother?”

Mrs. Garland thought. “I suppose so,” she said slowly, “only hurry back.”

“Wait,” Mr. Garland said reaching into his pocket, “bring back some ice cream and we'll all have some. Mother and I would like some ice cream.”

“I don't think…” Mrs. Garland said.

Virginia rushed over and grabbed the money from her father's hand. “Back in two seconds,” she said, and she and Millie ran out again.

“They do rush around so, don't they,” Mrs. Garland said, turning back to her needlework.

“They're young,” Mr. Garland said, “l(fā)et them have their fun.”

“I don't think we should encourage Millie as a friend for Virginia,” Mrs. Garland said, “she doesn't seem to be quite a nice girl.”

“She seems all right to me,” Mr. Garland said.

Millie and Virginia put the ice cream in dishes and brought it in to Mr. and Mrs. Garland. Mr. Garland received his with disgust. “Why should Millie,” he inquired, “get away with so much and only leave this little bit for me?”

Millie giggled. “I don't have one bit more than you do, Mr. Garland.”

“I dished it out myself,” Virginia said.

“You certainly do, Millie,” Mr. Garland went on, “I got robbed.” He went over to Millie to compare dishes and sat down next to her on the couch. “Now I'm going to sit right down here,” he said, “and watch every bit you eat, and count how much you have, and then you'll be sorry you didn't let me have more.”

Millie giggled again. “Stop, Mr. Garland,” she said, “I'm choking.”

“Charles,” Mrs. Garland said, “you're spoiling the girl's good time.”

“No, Mrs. Garland,” Millie said, “I think Mr. Garland's awfully funny.”

“Now I'm funny,” Mr. Garland said. “First you rob me of my ice cream and then you think I'm funny. Just a silly old man, I guess.”

“You're not an old man,” Millie said.

“He's old enough not to act like a clown,” Mrs. Garland said sharply.

“I don't think you're old at all,” Millie protested, “really, I think you're young.”

Mr. Garland eyed Millie. “How young would you say?” he demanded.

Millie giggled.

“My father's always like that,” Virginia said to Millie. “He's always fooling people.”

“Wouldn't go out with a guy my age, would you, Millie?” Mr. Garland said.

Millie looked up at him. “I couldn't say,” she said.

“Now don't tease me,” Mr. Garland said.

Mrs. Garland rose, put down her sewing, and went to the door. In the doorway she stopped for a minute. “Virginia,” she said, without turning around, “I want to speak to you for a minute, please.”

Virginia got up and followed her mother out of the room. “Be right with you, Millie,” she said.

When Virginia was gone Millie turned around to Mr. Garland. “Is Mrs. Garland mad about something I said or something?” she asked.

“Don't pay any attention to her,” Mr. Garland said. He touched the flower in Millie's hair. “Pretty flower,” he said.

“My boy friend gave it to me,” Millie said.

“Got a boy friend?” Mr. Garland said. “Does he take you out and show you a good time?”

Millie giggled. “He sure does,” she said.

“Where does he take you?” Mr. Garland asked. “Ever take you to this place downtown, this club they call The Blue Lantern?”

“I've been there,” Millie said.

Mr. Garland got up and walked across the room to get a cigarette and, as an afterthought, offered one to Millie.

“She coming back?” Millie asked, her hand out.

“Mrs. Garland? Not for a minute or two, probably.” Millie took the cigarette and Mr. Garland lit it for her.

“She doesn't like me,” Millie said, leaning back.

“I shouldn't think so,” Mr. Garland said.

“But Virginia's a swell kid,” Millie said. Mr. Garland laughed, and Millie looked up at him. “What did I say?” she asked.

Virginia came into the doorway and stopped for a minute.

“Millie,” she said, and Millie juggled Mr. Garland's hand insistently to make him take her cigarette. “Millie,” Virginia said, “Mother wants to know if we will run down and get her a couple of things at the store. Want to go?”

Millie hesitated, and Mrs. Garland came into the doorway behind Virginia. “Charles,” she said, “I told Virginia that if she and Millie went down to the store for me like good children you'd give them each a dime.”

“We'll get a soda,” Virginia said.

“After all that ice cream?” Mrs. Garland asked tolerantly. “You'd like to have a dime, wouldn't you, Millie?”

Millie hesitated. “Come on, Millie,” Virginia said impatiently. “Daddy, give us a dime.”

Mr. Garland looked at his wife, and reached into his pocket and took out a quarter. “Here,” he said.

Virginia came over and took the quarter and then grabbed Millie's arm and started her toward the door.

Mrs. Garland sat down and picked up her sewing again. “Charles,” she said, “don't you think the children are having too much ice cream?”