“This place hasn’t changed at all,” says Liz, looking into the mirror behind Matthew, using it to look around the room, then twisting on her chair to look into the lounge. “Not at all.”
“I was so late getting here,” says Matthew, “I was sure you’d already be here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Matthew. You’ve been waiting here. I’m sorry. I lost track of the time.” She puts her hand on his arm. “I found a condo.”
She’s buying a condominium. She doesn’t intend to come back, then.
“In the South End.”
Oh, great. We’ll be neighbors. I’ll be able to look into her windows with my binoculars.
“I love it. I just love it. I’m going to buy it. I just decided. Just this minute. Just this instant. I saw it in my mind, and I decided. Do you mind if I use Ralph for the closing and all?”
“Why would I mind? He’s our lawyer, not just mine.”
Why does she ask that? Was it Ralph? Was something going on with Ralph?
“Well, okay. Anyway, I looked at condos all afternoon, and then I went furniture shopping. Just browsing, but I lost track of the time.”
What does she have in mind? Why did she have to come back to Boston at all? Why couldn’t she have left me here in peace?
“Actually, you know, I was thinking maybe I’d get some stuff like yours. Really modern. What do you think?”
I think that was my idea. You ought to come up with your own.
The waif delivers Liz’s martini, and Matthew uses the moment to decide whether to say what he wants to say. He does: “I think you should think for yourself.”
“Whoa! You’re in a bad mood,” says Liz.
“I am not in a bad mood,” says Matthew.
For a moment, he’s enraged by this accusation. You were always accusing me of being in a bad mood, of being a grouch.
You’re right, BW tells him. And how you hated it, remember? How you hated being told that you were annoying, that you were a source of irritation to her. A shame I wasn’t around then.
“You know,” Matthew says, very calmly, “I always hated it when you informed me that I was in a bad mood. Always hated it.”
And fuck you, anyway. When I was in a bad mood, what makes you think that you hadn’t put me there? You were annoying, you know, very annoying. But I never complained — never complained about your annoying habits. Went along with whatever you wanted to do.
How true, how true, says BW. And you got no credit for it. No credit for putting up with her. You know why?
Why?
This will be hard for you to hear, Matthew, but I think it quite likely that she mistook your tolerance for timidity —
What?
— and that timidity made you boring to her, even annoying. You should have told her what you thought. Exactly what you thought.
“Anyway,” Matthew says, “are you sure you want to do that? Buy a condominium? I know you’re taken with it and everything, but aren’t you rushing into this? Neighborhoods have been changing a lot, you know. Maybe you should get a feel for the city — as it is now. Get to know different neighborhoods before you buy something.”
“Ah, the voice of caution.”
You see? says BW. I was right. You’re probably annoying her right this minute.
“No, no,” says Matthew. “I know it sounds that way, but that’s not it. That’s not what I’m saying. It’s not timidity — or caution. I just don’t want you to find out six months after you move in that you’ve bought a place you can’t stand. You could wind up with a place that — stinks. Literally. Dead rats rotting in the walls.”
“Matthew.”
“Old garbage fermenting in the disposal. Who knows? Why don’t you rent something for a while? Look around a bit.”
[to be continued]
In Topical Guide 535, Mark Dorset considers Buying: Housing: Caveat Emptor from this episode.
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