528
PARTISAN REVIEW
mHlation into puberty. When Evelyn opens the door she puts her
finger to her mouth to imitate a whisper. "Come on in: h e's almost
ready to go."
"Well, where is the birthday boy? I've got a lot of advice for him."
"Michael, be quiet. He's in the bedroom dressing.
If
you say one
word I'll break your arm."
I sit down on one of the chrome and canvas director's chairs. "Not
there, " Evelyn says , "that's Ross 's chair. He's very fussy about it."
"All right , I'll stand up. Can I take Benny and his date to the
gymnasium?"
"They don't hold dances in gymnasiums any more," Ross , walk–
ing toward Benny's bedroom, says rather sharply. "Besides, Marion
lives right in the building: they 're going to walk to the dance. They
won't need an escort."
"Marion," I say. "That sounds so grown-up."
"That
sounds like something a thirteen-year-old might say," Ross
says, peering from behind Benny's door.
"My, aren't we the calm and collected ones," I say. "Aren't you
excited at all, Ross , or were you always too mature for childhood
sweethearts?"
Benny comes out of his room accompanied by Ross. His hair is
slicked down, though it curls over his ears, he's wearing a yellow
oxford shirt and a crewneck sweater tied over his shoulders so he looks
like he just stepped out of the Sunday
Times Magazine.
"What 's
everybody looking at?" he says.
"Michael's telling us all about his chi ldhood sweethearts," Ross
says.
"Childhood sweethearts. Whoaaa," Benny says, walking over to
the television set and turning it on. A monster movie is on channel five,
one of those pictures where a toothpick Tokyo is devoured by a
caterpillar. It's usually the kind of movie Benny likes to watch, but he
turns the channel
to
watch the "Weekend News." Evelyn and I look at
each other and shrug. He turns to face us for a moment and says, "I've
seen it before: it's not very good," then goes back to the news.
"You really should sit and eat with us, Benny," Evelyn says,
setting the table. But when Benny insists he's not hungry Ross looks
over
to
Evelyn and shakes his head, motioning to her to drop the
subject. "But I made crepes, his favorite ... " she continues, her voice
trailing off.
When Marion arrives, a pretty little blonde with a yellow sweater
and a tartan plaid skirt, Benny motions us away, blocks her entrance.
