DANIEL ASA ROSE
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36. Was Roy now a better gift-buyer than he had been in
Hollywood?
Not in Henrietta's view. All the gifts she had ever received
from Roy, from the shocking Arabic perfume he gave her in first
grade, to the Danish handmirror of last Christmas, were inap–
propriate; they managed
to
make Henrietta feel insufficient. The
handmirror was royal but Henrietta was not; it was a fantasy she
could not live up to. The sight of her chubby, unproud face
reflected in the Danish oval, framed by silver swan figurines,
revolted Henrietta, it made her feel homely by contrast, a fat
duck. She felt odd when she used it, as if she were part of a
frightening fairy tale-worshipped by a blind suitor or captured
by a 200 year old prince.
Actually it was Roy who had captured her. He had forced
the gift upon her, as he forced all his gifts, and she hadn't had
the nerve to reject it. She couldn't bring herself to say: "Here,
take it back. You've got me all wrong. I don ' t like seeing myself
this way." Dutifully she took the mirror and dutifully she kept it
on her dresser. And every time she looked in it she was his
prisoner, she was his princess, as surely as if he had molded a
silver crown around her head.
37. Did Roy ever buy things for himself?
From time to time. He didn't scrimp on himself except
when important matters were at stake, such as his health.
38.
Why wouldn't Roy see a doctor for his cancer?
A. He preferred to think of it not as cancer but as a cigarette
pain. He had quit smoking already; what more could a doctor
prescribe?
B. He had a superstitition that he'd be a goner if he
underwent an operation. He knew it was irrational but he feared
that the open air would "stimulate" the cancer.
39. Two excuses?
But of course. Every bad move Roy made was supported by
at least two excuses so that if something should happen to one,
he would be held steady to his error by the other. He refrained
from locking the bathroom door, for instance, on the grounds
that: (A) he might find himself lacking some item and have to
