"Speak of the devil," I muttered, as Joanie advanced on us from the
rear.
"Mr. Fieldston," she called. "Al! Could I talk to you for a
moment--alone?"
"With pleasure," I said.
Meehan gave me a curdled look of envy and walked away. Joanie headed
for the rear steps of the social hall. She sat down on the steps, in a
probably unintentionally provocative legs-wide position. My bout with
Bonnie, though, had left me better able to resist the unnerving impact
of Joanie's magnificently full-blown nakedness. I sat down next to her,
studying her deep breasts with academic interest.
She said, "I don't mean to pry into your personal affairs, Al.
But I couldn't help noticing today that you seem to be developing
an--ahem--interest in Bonnie Carter."
I fidgeted. "Well, not really. I mean, that is, Bonnie seems friendly
to me--"
Joanie flashed the girl-scout smile. "Around here we don't have to be
tied down with petty modesty, Al. Bonnie was seen going into your
cabin when the lunch-gong rang, and the two of you didn't show up
for fifteen minutes. I don't think I'm jumping to conclusions when I
assume--"
"You assume correctly," I said.
"Don't think I'm trying to meddle. I just want to warn you about
Bonnie, Al."
"Warn me?"
"She's an extremely sick woman."
"I can see that already."
"She's highly neurotic on the subject of sex. Dr. Richards keeps
considering asking her to leave the colony, but he's such a gentle man
he can't bear to hurt Bonnie. Besides, she's never offensive in public.
But I want you to know what you're getting mixed up with."
I nodded. "I could tell she wasn't normal. She practically raped me at
lunchtime."
"Each summer she picks out a man," Joanie said. "She can be very
demanding. If she gets any encouragement at all, she can be almost
intolerably possessive. She might keep you from working on your novel.
Now, for all I know Bonnie may be just the sort of woman you want. But
if she isn't I advise you to lay down the law to her right away, before
she begins to think she owns you." Joanie was still smiling cheerfully.
"You must think I'm a dreadful meddler. But I'm only interested in
protecting you from that--that bottomless pit of a woman."
It was an unfortunate metaphor, and it broke me up. Joanie started to
laugh too, even if she didn't see what was funny. I told her that I
appreciated the warning, and that I would do my best to disentangle
myself from Bonnie's clutches right away.
And then--unexpectedly--I reached out and put my hand on Joanie's thigh.
"Joanie--"
Deftly she removed the hand. "Sorry, Al. I think you're swell, but
please don't--"
I suspended my hand in midair, about to reach out for Joanie's swelling
breasts, and then my sanity returned. She was still smiling, but there
was a strange expression in her eyes, a steely expression of contempt
and loathing masked by surface friendliness.