Chapter 19 Breakfast at Tiffany's-19

I did. It was too implausible not to be fact; moreover, it dovetailed with OJ Bermans description of the Holly hed first encountered in California: "You dont know whether shes a hillbilly or an Okie or what." Berman couldnt be blamed for not guessing that she was a child-wife from Tulip, Texas. "Plain broke our hearts when she ran off like she done," the horse doctor repeated. "She had no cause. All the housework was done by her daughters. Lulamae could just take it easy: fuss in front of mirrors and wash her hair. Our owncows, our own garden, chickens, pigs: son, that woman got positively fat. While her brother grew into a giant. Which is a sight different from how they come to us.

Twas Nellie, my oldest girl, twas Nellie brought em into the house. She come to meone morning, and said: Papa, I got two wild yunguns locked in the kitchen. I caught outside stealing milk and turkey eggs. That was Lulamae and Fred Well, never saw a more pitiful something. Ribs sticking out everywhere, legs so puny theycant hardly stand, teeth wobbling so bad they cant chew mush. Story was: theirmother died of the TB, and their papa done the same -- and all  … the churren, a wholeraft of em, they been sent off to live with different mean people. Now Lulamae and her brother, them two been living with some mean, no-count people a hundred miles east of Tulip. She had good cause to run off from that house. She didnt have noneto leave mine. Twas her home." He leaned his elbows on the counter and, pressing his closed eyes with his fingertips, sighed. "She plumped out to be a real prettywoman. Lively, too. Talky as a jaybird. With something smart to say on every subject: better than the radio. First thing you know, Im out picking flowers. I tamed her a crow and taught it to say her name. I showed her how to play the guitar. Just to look at her made the tears spring to my eyes. The night I proposed, I cried like ababy. She said: What you want to cry for, Doc? Course well be married. Ive never been married before. Well, I had to laugh, hug and squeeze her: never been married before!" He chuckled, chewed on his toothpick a moment. "Dont tell me that woman wasn't happy!" he said, challengingly. "We all doted on her. She didnt have to lift a finger, cept to eat a piece of pie. Cept to comb her hair and send away for all the magazines. We mustve had a hunnerd dollars worth of magazines come into that house. Ask me, thats what done it. Looking at show-off pictures. Readingdreams. come home. Two miles, and come home. One day she just kepton." He put his hands over his eyes again; his breathing madea ragged noise. "Thecrow I gave her went wild and flew away. All summer you could hear him. In the yard. In the garden. In the woods. All summer that damned bird was calling: Lulamae, Lulamae."

He stayed hunched over and silent, as though listening to the long-ago summersound. I carried our checks to the cashier. While I was paying, he joined me. We lefttogether and walked over to Park Avenue. ; swankyawnings flapped in the breeze. The quietness between us continued until I said: "But what about her brother? He didn't leave?" "No, sir," he said, clearing his throat. "Fred was with us right till they took him in the Army. A fine boy. Fine with horses. He didnt know what got into Lulamae, how come she left her brother and husband and churren. After he was in the Army, though, Fred started hearing from her. The other day he wrote me her address. So Icome to get her. I know hes sorry for what she done. I know she wants to gohome." He seemed to be asking me to agree with him. I told him that I thought hed find Holly, or Lulamae, somewhat changed. "Listen, son," he said, as we reached the steps of the brownstone, "I advised you I need a friend . Because I dont want to surprise her. Scare her none. Thats why Ive held off. Be my friend: let her know Imhere."

The notion of introducing Mrs. Golightly to her husband had its satisfying aspects; and, glancing up at her lighted windows, I hoped her friends were there, for the prospect of watching the Texan shake hands with Mag and Rusty and Jose was more satisfying still. Doc Golightlys proud earned eyes and sweat-stained hat mademe ashamed of such anticipations. He followed me into the house and prepared towait at the bottom of the stairs. "Do I look nice?" he whispered, brushing his sleeves, tightening the knot of his tie. Holly was alone. She answered the door at once; in fact, she was on her way out-- white satin dancing pumps and quantities of perfume announced gala intentions.

"Well, idiot," she said, and playfully slapped me with her purse. "Im in too much of ahurry to make up now. Well smoke the pipe tomorrow, okay?" "Sure, Lulamae. If you're still around tomorrow." She took off her dark glasses and squinted at me. It was as though her eyes wereshattered prisms, the dots of blue and gray and green like broken bits of sparkle. "He told you that," she said in a small, shivering voice. "Oh, please. Where is he?" She ran past me into the hall. "Fred!" she called down the stairs. "Fred! Where are you, darling?"

I could hear Doc Golightlys footsteps climbing the stairs. His head appeared above the banisters, and Holly backed away from him, not as though she were rerightened, but as though she were retreating into a shell of disappointment. Then he was standing in front of her, hangdog and shy. "Gosh, Lulamae," he began, and hesitated, for Holly was gazing at him vacantly, as though she couldn't place him. "Gee, honey," he said, "dont they feed you up here? Youre so skinny. Like when If first saw you. All wild around the eye." Holly touched his face; her fingers tested the reality of his chin, his beard stubble.

"Hello, Doc," she said gently, and kissed him on the cheek. "Hello, Doc," sherepeated happily, as he lifted her off her feet in a rib-crushing grip. Whoops of relieved laughter shook him. "Gosh, Lulamae .Kingdom come." Neither of them noticed me when I squeezed past them and went up to my room. Nor did they seem aware of Madame Sapphia Spanella, who opened her door and yelled: "Shut up! Its a disgrace. Do your whoring elsewhere." "Divorce him? Of course I never divorced him. I was only fourteen, for Gods sake. It couldn't have been legal." Holly tapped an empty martini glass. "Two more, mydarling Mr. Bell."

Joe Bell, in whose bar we were sitting, accepted the order reluctantly. "Yourockin the boat kinda early," he complained, crunching on a Tums. It was not yet noon, according to the black mahogany clock behind the bar, and hed already served us three rounds. "But its Sunday, Mr. Bell. Clocks are slow on Sundays. Besides, I havent been tobed ​​yet," she told him, and confident to me: "Not to sleep." She blushed, and glanced away guiltily. For the first time Since Id known her, she seemed to feel a need to justify herself: "Well, I had to. Doc really loves me, you know. And I love him. Hemay have looked old and tacky to you. But you dont know the sweetness of him, theconfidence he can give to birds and brats and fragile things like that. Anyone whoever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot. Ive always remembered Doc in myprayers. Please stop smirking!" she demanded, stabbing out a cigarette."I do say my prayers."

"Im not smirking. Im smiling. Youre the most amazing person." "I suppose I am," she said, and her face, wan, rather bruised-looking in the morning light, brightened; she smoothed her tousled hair, and the colors of it glimmered like a shampoo advertisement. "I must look fierce. But who wouldn't? Wespent the rest of the night roaming around in a bus station. Right up till the lastminute Doc thought I was going to go with him. Even though I kept telling him: But,Doc, Im not fourteen any more, and Im not Lulamae. But the terrible part is (and Irealized it while we were standing there) I am. Im still stealing turkey eggs and running through a brier patch. Only now I call it having the mean reds."

Joe Bell disdainfully settled the fresh martinis in front of us.