PARTISAN REVIEW
481
the ears, a little more bounce to your walk, fluff out your hair–
You aren't really old yet, you know. You have years left. Here, let
me straighten your eyebrows a little.
(wets his finger, "fixes" her
up, etc.)
You look as if you've been sleeping on your face for three
days! Let's see. Your skin is still good. A few pimples on the fore–
head, but we can fix that - cover it up with your bangs. Like
this. Cute. How is your breath? Eh, it isn't very fresh! It smells
dried, parched, stale, it smells like this room - and what's
this,
scum on your teeth? A film of scum on your teeth?
(he rubs at
her teeth with his forefinger)
Who is going to want to kiss you,
when your breath is stale and there's scum on your teeth? You
will lose your popularity if you're not careful! (SHELLEY
embraces
him;
PETER
is annoyed but tries not to show it)
What's wrong?
Are you sniffling? Are you catching a cold?
SHELLEY: I'm sorry.
PETER: You're not wiping your nose on my shirt, are you? Are you
sick?
SHELLEY: My mind
is
not right. I can't wake up. I can't see the
corners of the room.
PETER: Are you catching a cold, that's what I asked.
SHELLEY: I don't know.
PETER: A little girl started out like this - sniffling - then her throat
got sore. I looked in her mouth and it was all white with red spots.
She started coughing, she couldn't breathe, she kept spitting up
mucus. That wasn't so cute, all that mucus! Her cuteness came
to an end. I said goodbye and started her walking down the side–
walk to where the patrol car
is
usually parked, and that was the
end of that. I don't want that to happen to you. First the sniffling
- then the sore throat - then the pneumonia or whatever it
was - then they disappear. I don't want that to happen to you.
SHELLEY: No-please-
PETER: Make yourself look pretty. Hurry up. It never used to take
you this long. Smile. Come on, smile.
SHELLEY: I need some of those white things–
PETER: First smile.
SHELLEY
(confused):
Smile. How do I smile? How does it go
again ...?
PETER
(putting his hands around her head and shaking it):
Is your
brain turning to mucus? Are you dissolving? Wake up!
