346: Everyone was relieved ...
Herb ’n’ Lorna, Chapter 14 continues
EVERYONE was relieved when Ella fell in love with the Leroy brothers, no one more than Lorna. Ella brought the boys home one day after school, and surprised Lorna and Mrs. Stolz, who were in the kitchen.
“Oh, my,” said Lorna. “Oh, my.” She wiped her hands on her apron. They were the handsomest boys she had ever seen, a pair of tall, sandy-haired guys with wide smiles and shining eyes.
“Mom, this is Buster Leroy, and this is Bert Leroy,” said Ella.
Lorna shook hands with them. She was surprised to find that their good looks made her uneasy. She felt awkward and shy, and she felt old. She found herself patting her hair into place and wishing that she’d worn another dress. “Hello,” she said. She wished she could think of something more to say, something nice, something that would make the boys think of her as someone, not just as Ella’s mother. Nothing came to her, and so she just said again, “Hello,” and smiled, and wiped her hands on her apron, and looked to Ella for the next remark. Ella smiled at her, a smile that told Lorna that Ella had seen and understood her discomposure. Lorna was embarrassed. She desired these boys. She was shocked to recognize it. She was more shocked to see that Ella recognized it.
“Mrs. Stolz,” said Ella, “I want you to meet Buster and Bert Leroy.” Lorna watched as if from a distance. Where had Ella learned this formality, where had she acquired this calm? How did she remain composed in the presence of these young men? The young people went off to the living room, and Lorna took her apron off and dropped it on the kitchen table. She thought of going to the bedroom to change her dress, put on some makeup, fix her hair, but she stopped at the door when she remembered that she’d have to go through the living room to get there. Ella darted back into the kitchen and collided with Lorna. She was beaming. She threw her arms around her mother. “Do you like them?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Lorna. “They’re very handsome. I — I got all — discombobulated.” It was a confession, and she wondered if Ella would understand that it was. Ella winked at her, and she and Ella burst into giggles.
“Shhhh,” said Mrs. Stolz.
“Can they stay for dinner?” asked Ella.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Lorna. She looked around the kitchen. “I wasn’t planning to have anything special, I — ”
“Please,” said Ella.
Lorna couldn’t refuse the look Ella gave her. “The three of you can go to the store for me,” she said. “Get a couple of chickens. I’ll make some potato salad — and I’ll — don’t worry — I’ll fix something. It will be nice.” When they had gone, Lorna telephoned Herb to warn him that the boys would be there for dinner, and then she went to the bedroom to change.
Dinner was a success, but Lorna was nervous throughout it. Once she caught herself just sitting, wringing her napkin in her lap and watching while the boys ate, wondering whether they were just being polite in taking second helpings of her potato salad or whether they really liked it, wondering whether they liked her, wondering how old they thought she was.
At one point Herb asked, “You boys aren’t twins, are you?”
“Uh, no, sir,” said Bert.
“Which of you is older?” asked Herb.
“I’m a year younger than Bert,” said Buster.
“Yeah,” said Bert.
“But I’m about two years smarter,” Buster said. “So I got put ahead a grade. It was when I was in the fifth grade. They moved me up to the sixth with him.”
“Yeah,” said Bert.
“Isn’t that something?” Lorna said. Both boys turned toward her when she spoke, and she was caught with a forkful of potato salad at chin height. She hadn’t intended to say anything more, but with both of them looking at her she felt that she ought to add something. She wished she could make her fork disappear. “Your parents must have been proud,” she said to Buster.
“Yeah,” said Bert.
“Oh, I guess they were,” said Buster. He smiled, and Lorna set her full fork back on her plate. “We never talked about it much at home. Mom and Dad didn’t want me to get a swelled head. In fact, to tell the truth, I think they were prouder of Bert.”
“Yeah,” said Bert.
“Oh?” said Lorna. “What for?”
“For not getting put back a grade,” Buster said. It was a joke, and he winked at Lorna to show that it was.
[to be continued on Monday, September 26, 2022]
In Topical Guide 346, Mark Dorset considers Mental and Emotional States: Discombobulation; Twins (and Non-Twins); and Epicureanism: Phantasiai and Doxa from this episode.
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