"What do you mean, what's with her?"
"She's changed, somehow."
"In what way?"
"She seems sort of inner-thoughtful. Cheerful enough but as if
something's bothering her that she can't stop."
"That all?"
"No," he went on. "She hiked upstairs like a shot right after dinner was
over. Tim raced after her. And she said no to coffee."
"Oh, that. She's just a little upset in the middle."
"But why?"
"She's pregnant."
"Pregnant?"
"Sure. Can't you see?"
"Never occurred to me to look."
"Well, it's so," said Martha, scouring a coffee cup with an exaggerated
flourish. "And I'm going to have a half-sibling."
"But look--"
"Don't _you_ go getting upset," said Martha. "It's a natural process
that's been going on for hundreds of thousands of years, you know."
"When?"
"Not for months," said Martha. "It just happened."
"Too bad she's unhappy."
"She's very happy. Both of them wanted it."
James considered this. He had never come across Voltaire's observation
that marriage is responsible for the population because it provides the
maximum opportunity with the maximum temptation. But it was beginning to
filter slowly into his brain that the ways and means were always
available and there was neither custom, tradition, nor biology that
dictated a waiting period or a time limit. It was a matter of choice, and
when two people want their baby, and have no reason for not having their
baby, it is silly to wait.
"Why did they wait so long if they both want it?"
"Oh," replied Martha in a matter-of-fact voice, "they've been working at
it right along."
James thought some more. He'd come to see if he could detect any
difference between the behavior of Judge and Mrs. Carter, and the
behavior of Tim and Janet Fisher. He saw little, other than the standard
differences that could be accounted for by age and temperament. Tim and
Janet did not really act as if they'd Discovered Something New. Tim, he
knew, was a bit more sweet and tender to Janet than he'd been before, but
there was nothing startling in his behavior. If there were any difference
as compared to their original antics, James knew that it was undoubtedly
due to the fact that they didn't have to stand lollygagging in the
hallway for two hours while Janet half-heartedly insisted that Tim go
home. He went on to consider his original theory that the Carters were
childless because they occupied separate bedrooms; by some sort of
deduction he came to the conclusion that he was right, because Tim and
Janet Fisher were making a baby and they slept in the same bedroom.
He went on in a whirl; maybe the Carters didn't want children, but it was
more likely that they too had tried but it hadn't happened.
And then it came to him suddenly that here he was in the kitchen alone
with Martha Bagley, discussing the very delicate subject. But he was
actually no closer to his problem of becoming a participant than he'd
been an hour ago in the living room. It was one thing to daydream the
suggestion when you can also daydream the affirmative response, but it
was another matter when the response was completely out of your control.
James was not old enough in the ways of the world to even consider
outright asking; even if he had considered it, he did not know how to
ask.
* * * * *
The evening went slowly. Janet and Tim returned about the time the
dishwashing process was complete. Janet proposed a hand of bridge; Tim
suggested poker, James voted for pinochle, and Martha wanted to toss a
coin between canasta or gin rummy. They settled it by dealing a shuffled
deck face upward until the ace of hearts landed in front of Janet,
whereupon they played bridge until about eleven o'clock. It was
interesting bridge; James and Martha had studied bridge columns and books
for recreation; against them were aligned Tim and Janet, who played with
the card sense developed over years of practice. The youngsters knew the
theories, their bidding was as precise as bridge bidding could be made
with value-numbering, honor-counting, response-value addition, and all
of the other systems. They understood all of the coups and end plays
complete with classic examples. But having all of the theory engraved on
their brains did not temporarily imprint the location of every card
already played, whereas Tim and Janet counted their played cards
automatically and made up in play what they missed in stratagem.
At eleven, Janet announced that she was tired, Tim joined her; James
turned on the television set and he and Martha watched a ten-year-old
movie for an hour. Finally Martha yawned.
And James, still floundering, mentally meandered back to his wish that it
were Christmas so that mistletoe would provide a traditional gesture of
affection, and came up with a new and novel idea that he expressed in a
voice that almost trembled:
"Tired, Martha?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, why don't I kiss you good night and send you off to bed."
"All right, if you want to."
"Why?"
"Oh--just--well, everybody does it."
She sat near him on the low divan, looking him full in the face but
making no move, no gesture, no change in her expression. He looked at her
and realized that he was not sure of how to take hold of her, how to
reach for her, how to proceed.