Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

At seventeen, Josephine Zinski was the prettiest girl in Odessa, Texas.His golden face was slightly reddened by the sun.His long black hair had a reddish-brown luster under the sunlight.His dark brown eyes were streaked with gold.Her figure was very slender and attractive, with round and full breasts, a straight back that gradually tapered down, and gradually increased from the waist and hips.The two long legs are well-proportioned and beautiful, presenting a sexy beauty. Josephine no longer had much contact with those in the oil industry.She is with people who are not in the oil industry.After school, she worked as a waitress in a prestigious drive-in restaurant.This restaurant is called "Golden Rogue".Mary Rowe and Suce Toppin and their friends used to come here for dates.Josephine always greeted them with civility, but that had changed.

Josephine always felt a little uneasy.She longed for something, and although she never knew what it was, it was there.She wants to leave this despicable city, but she doesn't know where she wants to go, or what to do.Her head ached again from thinking about it so hard. She had been out with a dozen different boys and men.Her mom's favorite was Warren Hoffman. "Warren will make a great husband for you. He's a lovely guy who goes to church on time. Makes a lot of money as a plumber. He loves you like crazy." "He's twenty-five, and he's too fat." Her mother looked Josephine over and said, "Poor Polish girl, don't be picky. You won't find anyone like that anywhere in Texas. Stop fooling yourself."

Josephine promised Warren Hoffman to take her to the movies once a week.Warren held her hand in his large, sweaty, callused palm, and kept squeezing it throughout the movie.Josephine hardly noticed.She was engrossed in what was happening on the screen.On the screen she saw an extension of the world of beautiful people and things she had grown up with, only it seemed larger and more exciting.In the back of her mind, she had a vague feeling that Hollywood could provide her with everything she needed: beauty, entertainment, laughter and happiness.She knew that there was no other way for her to live that life than to marry a rich man.And the rich boys are all taken by the rich girls.

There is only one exception. David Kennevan.Josephine thought of him often.Long ago, she snuck a snapshot of David Kenevenin at Mary Rowe's house.She stashed the snapshot in her closet and took it out whenever she felt uncomfortable.The photo reminded her of David standing by the pool and saying, "I apologize for them." Her hurt feelings faded to be replaced by his tender warmth.She had only seen David once since that terrible day when he brought her a bathrobe in his swimming pool.That time he was sitting in a car with his family.Later, Josephine heard that he went to the train station to study at Oxford University in England.This was four years ago, in 1952.David also comes home every summer vacation and Christmas.However, they never came across.Josephine often heard other girls talking about him.In addition to David's inheritance from his mother, they said, his grandmother left him $5 million in securities.David was the one she really wanted.But that's not all that a seamstress' daughter of Polish descent can get.

Josephine did not know that David Kennevan had returned from Europe.Josephine was working in the Golden Rogue restaurant late on a Saturday night in July.It seemed to her that almost half the population of Odessa had come to the drive-thru to beat the heat with gallons of lemon tea, ice cream, and soda.Josephine was so busy that she didn't even have time to rest.There's always a circle of cars around the neon-lit drive-thru, like a herd of metallic animals circled around a magical spring.Josephine walked over to the drive-thru with a plate of the shakes, hamburgers, and Coca-Cola she had served millions of times, and a menu in her hand. The front of a white racing car.

"Good evening," said Josephine cheerfully, "would you like to see the menu?" "Hello, newcomer." Josephine's heart jumped when she heard David Kennivan's voice.He looked exactly as she remembered him, only he seemed prettier.Now it seems that he is more mature and stable, which is probably due to the formation of his time abroad.Sasse Topping sat next to David, looking crisp and beautiful in a rich silk dress and stylish blouse. Sasse said, "Hey Yossie, you shouldn't be working on such a hot night, honey." Could it be that Josephine would rather work here than go to an air-conditioned theatre?Or go for a spin in a racing car with David Kenevenin?

Josephine replied softly and slowly, "It will keep me out of the streets." She saw David Kennivan smiling at her.She knew, he understood. Long after they had gone, Josephine still thought of David.She repeated his words over and over again: "Hello, newcomer... I'd like a ham sandwich and a liter of beer - a cup of coffee. It's not good to have a cold drink on such a hot night... Do you like it?" Work here? . . . I'll pay the bill . . . no change . , maybe she missed a few words. Maybe he couldn't say anything in front of Sasse.Maybe he had nothing to say to Josephine at all.But, to her surprise, he remembered her.

She stood in front of the sink in the drive-thru's kitchenette, dazed.At this time, Baco, a young Mexican chef, came up behind her and said, "What's the matter with you, Josephine? Why do you have that look in your eyes?" She likes Bako very much.He was not yet thirty years old, tall and slender, with black eyes, and when people were anxious and nervous, Bakow would still smile and even make a few jokes. "Who is that?" Josephine smiled slightly. "Nobody, Bacco." "Okay. Six cars are coming up for food. Hurry up." The next morning, David called.Before Josephine picked up the phone, she knew who it was.All night, she could not get rid of him thinking about him.It seemed like the call was an extension of her dream.

His first words were this: "You're a good boy! You grew up and became a beautiful young woman while I was away." She was delighted to hear that. That night, David took her to dinner.Josephine had already planned a small restaurant out of the way, where David might not meet his friends.However, he took her to his club.There, everyone stopped by their table to say hello.Not only was David not at all ashamed to be seen with Josephine, but he seemed very proud of her company.She loved him for that, and for a hundred other reasons.His appearance, his elegance, his understanding, as long as he is with him, I feel indescribably happy in my heart.She had never known before that such a great man as David Kennevan existed.

Every day, after Josephine's work, they were together.From the age of fourteen, Josephine had to struggle to get rid of men's pursuit.Because their sexual desire for her often disturbed her.Men always like to touch her, squeeze her breasts, or lift her skirt with his hands.They thought it was a way of stimulating her, but they had no idea how unpleasant it was to her. And she was completely different with David Kenevenin.Sometimes when he put his arm around her, or occasionally touched her, there was a reaction in her whole body.She had never felt this way when she was in contact with anyone before.During the days when she didn't see David, she thought of nothing but David.

She faced the fact; she was in love with David.Week after week passed.They spend more and more time together.Josephine clearly felt that a miracle had happened.David also fell in love with her. He discussed with her some of his problems, and some of his disagreements with his family. "Mom wants me to take over the business," David told her, "but I can't tell if that's all I want to do with my life." In addition to some oil wells and refineries, the Kenny Consortium also has a large cattle ranch in the southwestern United States, as well as a series of restaurants, several banks, and a large insurance company. "Can't you tell your mother that you can't take it all, David?" David sighed and said, "You don't know my mother." Josephine had met David's mother.She was small (it seemed inconceivable that David should have been born of such a small frame), and she bore three children.She was very weak and sickly during pregnancy and after delivery of these three children, and suffered from a heart attack when she gave birth to her third child.Over the years, she repeatedly described her ordeal to her children.Her children grew up convinced that their mother had risked her life to bring them up one by one.This allows her to keep a firm grip on her family and use her powers mercilessly. "I want to live my own life," David told Josephine, "but I can't do anything to hurt my mother. The truth is—Dr Young doesn't think she'll be with us much longer .” One night, Josephine told David her dream of becoming a star in Hollywood.He looked at her and said calmly, "I won't let you go." When she heard this, her heart beat very hard.Every time they were together, the intimacy between them grew stronger.David was indifferent to Josephine's family.He has no concept of power at all.But one night, at the drive-thru, something unexpected happened. That was close to closing time.David sat in the car and waited for Josephine.Josephine and Bacco were in the little kitchen, hastily setting the last of the dishes away. "A date, huh?" Bacow said. Josephine smiled and said, "How do you know?" "Because it's like Christmas for you. Your pretty face is shining. Tell him for me that he's a happy man!" Josephine smiled and said, "I'll tell him." On the spur of the moment, she leaned against Bako and let him kiss her on the cheek.After a short while, she heard the sound of the car engine starting, followed by the screech of a horn.As she turned sharply, David's white convertible slammed into the fender of another car and drove away from the drive-thru.She stood there puzzled, watching the taillights of the cars disappear into the night. At three o'clock in the morning, Josephine was still tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.She heard a car pull up to her bedroom door.She hastily looked out of the window.David sat behind the wheel, looking drunk.Josephine immediately put a coat over her pajamas and walked out. "Get in the car," David ordered her.Josephine opened the car door and sat beside him.No one said a word for a long time.Finally, David spoke, but his voice was very thick, and it seemed that it was not just because he had drunk whiskey.He was full of fire.An overwhelming rage drove his words out like a cannonball. "You don't belong to me," David said, "you're free. You can do what you like. But since you're going to go out with me, I hope you don't kiss any bloody Mexicans. Do you understand ?” She looked at him resignedly, and then said: "I kissed Bako because—he said something that pleased me. He's my friend." David took a deep breath, trying to suppress the unquenchable feelings in his heart: "I want to tell you one thing, which I have never told anyone alive." Josephine sat waiting, not knowing what was going to happen next. "I have a sister," said David, "called Bet. I—I look up to her." Josephine still vaguely remembered Bette, a beautiful woman with blond hair and blue eyes, thin skin and fair flesh.Josephine had seen her a lot in the old days when she was playing with Mary Rowe.Josephine was only eight years old when Bette died.David must have been about fifteen years old then. "I remember when Bet died," said Josephine. David's next sentence was a thunderclap: "Bate is still alive." She looked at him with wide eyes: "But, I—everyone thinks—that—" "She's in a mental institution," he said, turning to face her, his voice dark. "She was raped by a Mexican gardener in my family. I live down the hall. Bette's bedroom is down the hall." .I heard her cry, and ran to her bedroom. The man had taken off her pajamas, and—" His voice was shaking, "I fought him until my mother came running in, And the police were called. The police came and put him in jail. That night, he killed himself in the jail. Bet went crazy. She could never leave that place again. Never again. I can't tell you , how I love her, Yossie. I think she thinks so badly. Since that night, I-I-I-I can't stand--" She put her hand on his. "I'm sorry, David. I understand. I appreciate you telling me about it." Strangely enough, this incident brought the two of them closer together.They talked about things they hadn't touched before.Josephine told David about her mother's religious fanaticism.He smiled slightly and said, "I have an uncle who was like that for a time." He paused and said, "He went to a certain monastery in Tibet." "I'm going to be twenty-four next month," David told Josephine one day. "It's a family tradition for the Kennevans to get married when they're twenty-four." She listened, and her heart was beating wildly. The next night, David had two tickets to the Globe Theatre.When he came to Josephine, he said, "Let's forget about the scene and talk about our future." When Josephine heard these words, she knew that everything she had prayed for would now come true.She could see it in David's eyes.There was love and hope in his eyes. She said, "Let's drive to Lake Dewey." She wanted it to be the most romantic proposal night ever.Someday, this will be a funny story she tells her children over and over again.She wanted to keep every minute of the night in her heart. Lake Dewey is a small lake, about forty miles from Odessa.It was a beautiful night.The first quarter moon sheds soft silver light, the stars in the sky are flickering, and the surface of the lake is sparkling.All kinds of disturbing sounds in the mysterious world echoed in the air.This is a microscopic world in the universe.Here, millions of invisible small animals are exchanging love, preying, maybe being swallowed, maybe dying. Josephine and David sat in the car, quietly listening to the various sounds under the night.Josephine looked at him.He sat behind the steering wheel, that beautiful face, warm and sincere.She loved him, but never as deeply as she loved him now.She wanted to do something to make him feel wonderful, she wanted to give him something that would make him know how much she loved him.Suddenly, she remembered what she should do. "Let's go for a swim, David," she said. "I didn't bring a bathing suit." "That's okay." He turned to look at her and was about to speak, but Josephine had already gotten out of the car and was running to the lake.As she began to undress, she heard him follow.She plunged into the warm water.After a while, David was by his side. "Yosie..." Josephine turned and fell into his arms.All over her she needed him hungrily.They were hugging in the water, and she could feel his urge.But he said: "Yosie, we can't..." His voice was blocked because he wanted her.She stroked him and said, "Yes. Oh, David, yes." They returned to the shore and hugged tightly.The two were joined together, into the soft night of the stars and the earth. After a long time, David sent her home.Josephine remembered very late that David had not yet proposed to her.But that's nothing.What they share together is more binding than any marriage ceremony.Tomorrow he will propose to her. The next day Josephine slept until noon.She woke up with a smile on her face.She smiled at her mother as she came into her bedroom with a beautiful old wedding dress. "Run to Blue Becker's and get me twelve yards of tulle. Mrs. Topping has just brought her wedding dress. I have to make another for Sasse by Saturday. David Kennevan is married." As soon as David Kennivan dropped Josephine home, he went to see his mother.She Wei: Lying on the bed, she is a thin and thin woman who turned out to be very beautiful. When David entered his mother's dimly lit bedroom, she opened her eyes.She saw David coming in and smiled. "Hey, son, you're back so late." "I'm out with Josephine, mother." She said nothing, but looked at him with her wise gray eyes. "I'm going to marry her," said David. She shook her head slowly: "I can't let you do something wrong like that, David." "You don't really know Josephine. She's—" "I know she's a lovely girl. But she's not fit to be a Kenevenon wife. Susie Toppin will make you happy. And if you marry her, it will make me happy." He took her weak hand and said, "I love you very much, mother. But I have been able to make up my own mind." "Can you really?" she asked softly. "Are you doing everything right?" David stared at her, and she said, "Can you believe that you're doing everything properly, David? Haven't you ever lost your mind? You don't do terrible--" He drew his hand back. "Do you think what you're doing is smart, son?" Her voice softened. "Mom, for God's sake!" "You've done enough for this family, David. Don't burden me any further. I'm afraid I can't take it any more." His face turned pale. "You know, I don't—I can't—" "You've grown up and I can't send you away. You're a grown-up now. I want you to look like a grown-up." He said painfully: "I—I love her—" She suddenly twitched.David sent for the doctor.He later spoke to a doctor. "I'm afraid your mother won't stay long, David." In this way, David had to give up his decision. David went to see Sasse Toppin. "I'm in love with someone else," said David, "my mother always thought you and I—" "I think so too, dear." "I know such a request is a dreadful thing, but—will you marry me until—until my mother dies, and then divorce me?" Sasse looked at him and said gently, "If you want, you can, David." He felt an unbearable weight finally being lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you, Sasse, you don't know how—" She smiled and said, "We're all old friends, what are you talking about?" As soon as David left, Sasse Topping called David's mother.She said: "Everything is arranged." One thing David Kennivan hadn't anticipated was that Josephine had heard of the impending wedding before he had explained the whole situation to Josephine.When David arrived at Josephine's house, Mrs. Zinski met him at the door. "I want to see Josephine," he said. She looked at him with hostile triumph in her eyes. "My Lord Jesus will subdue and kill his enemies, and the wicked will go to hell." David said patiently, "I want to talk to Josephine." "She's not at home," said Mrs. Zinski, "she's gone away!"