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Show LILACS IN THE RAIN By Mary Boyles ITHEN Elaine Bord opened the V door to their apartment the room was too neat; especially the coffee table without her husband's pipe and assortment of magazines. maga-zines. To Intensify the atmosphere of loneliness a spring rain was padding against the window pane. She sniffed the air. Lilacs I How could that odor have seeped Into the heart of Chicago? Scoffing at a trick of Imagination, sh dropped Into chair. Thoughts pounded through her tired brain. Dave must have meant It last night when be had said that he was going to leave that very day for Vlncennes to take over his uncle's paper. She had told Dave tli at she had an Important Job with n advertising Arm. She had recently recent-ly been promoted to a higher personnel per-sonnel Job. The promotion put her salary a little above his, but she pointed out he was In line for the next raise In his Arm. She had not believed that Dave would leave without her. She shrugged her shoulders and sniffed the air again. The odor of lilacs seemed real. For her their frag-, ranee held a particular memory She closed her eyes and could see vividly a boy and a girl. Jumping puddles on ' their way home from school one spring day. "My teacher said I might get a solo dance tn the festival, cause I did so good this year," Elaine had boasted. She repeated a part of the dance on the curbing. Dave had looked away, his thin pointed face solemn. She had danced three more steps before she noticed that Dave was running down the street, heedless of puddles. She bad scampered scam-pered after him. Why had Dave looked so unhappy? unhap-py? Then she had known. While she was bragging about her part in the festival, she had forgotten what had happened to Dave In his solo when he had reached the high part, which he usually took so easily, his voice had broken He had tried to continue his song but no sound had come. "Dave, Dave," Elaine cried as she rushed around the house. She had been about to enter the kitchen when she heard sound under the lilac bush by the back door. "Dave," she cried and crawled under the lilac bush beside be-side him. She had caught his fists as he pounded the earth. "Dave, your song was beautiful." "I ruined the program." he bad cried. "I heard you sing tn practice. Your song was beautiful. Something Some-thing Just happened at the festival. You couldn't help It." "Silly old song! Who cares?" he had said. Another shower had been pelting against the lilac leaves. The odor of the lilacs had covered the two children chil-dren like a soft fragrant blanket. "You're pretty. Elaine. You're my girl. You can have all my lilacs if you want them." He had pressed his damp flushed face against hers. She had sat up giggling. After that the lilacs had carried car-ried a memory of Dave The two memories merged the old and the one of last night. She knew that she must have been thinking only of herself again. She could not let Dave go to Vlncennes without her. He had said something about having hav-ing to finish some work at the office of-fice tonight. Perhaps she could catch him there She was trembling trembl-ing so violently that she could hardly hard-ly dial The telephone rang several times: then Dave said, "Hello." "Dave." she said breathlessly. "1 want to go to Vlncennes with you." She heard him chuckle as be said. "Good." "You'll think Tm silly, but I keep smelling lilacs . . . ever since I stepped Inside the apartment." "Have you been tn the kitchen?" he asked. "No." she answered, "Just In the front room." "There's a pitcher of lilacs on the kitchen sink. The flower man at the station had loads of fresh lilacs this morning." "But how did they "get here?" "I sneaked them in. I was betting bet-ting on the lilacs. I didn't have anything to do .with the rain." |
