Show THE T CORNER MESSAGE FOR THELMA i By ROBERT ARTHUR OMs OM's note said that he ho would TOMs TOM's come at 11 for his things By 10 1030 30 Anne had packed all aU of his personal belongings into the three pigskin bags and the wardrobe trunk which she dragged empty into the foyer of the apartment and filled there Tom was never He might come half an hour arly early or half an hour late and she wanted to have everything ready in time so that she could be out when he came I She did not linger over the packIng packIng pack- pack packing Ing or allow herself to feel anything even when she put the set of cuff cufflinks cufflinks cufflinks links and studs which had been her wedding gift gUt to him and the silver- silver mounted military brushes she had given him on their first and only anniversary into the last bag I wonder if anyone else in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York uses military brushes she caught herself thi thinking king I never knew any other man who did A brief mental picture came to her of Tom before the mirror making a determined effort with the brushes to force his sandy hair to stay in place Then as quickly as it had come she banished it Surgical operations should be beneat beneat beneat neat and clean Even if it was something you were cutting out of your heart you linger over it Only when the three bags were standing beside the trunk in their scuffed sturdiness strangely reminding reminding reminding re re- re- re minding her of Tom did she have time to feel the emptiness within her As if in emptying the closet and bureau of his things she had taken something from inside herself and packed it too To escape the curious numbness which gripped her she turned swiftly swiftly swift swift- ly and went for her hat and coat In n getting them from the closet beside beside beside be be- side the front door she saw the large pad which hung there where Thelma rhelma the maid could not help it tenth nn rm arriving In leav ing O hg-O Thel Thelma was a good d worker ok but forgetful Thelma Please Thelma Please defrost defrost de de- defrost frost refrigerator said last Thursdays Thursday's Thursdays Thursday's Thursdays Thursday's Thurs Thurs- days day's note reminding her that this was Saturday and Thelma would do dono dono dono no marketing for the weekend unless unless unless un un- less told But Thelma might be gone before Anne return returned d and Anne hesitated Then do everything everything every every- thing lhing just as always she told her her- self If you let go now it'll just hurt burt worse and longer She slipped into her coat forced herself to put on her hat with care Then she took up the pencil that was tied to the pad by a red string and tried to think what she would need Tomatoes lettuce oranges bread milk coffee she thought Soup Boup maybe I dont don't know I dont don't tare rare what I eat Her fingers were curiously stiff as us she wrote carefully in neat capitals capi cap taIs NEEDED She underscored I the llie word drew a line after it then I tad had just begun to write down the theY I Y she wanted Thelma to buy when hen she heard the elevator begin Its humming rise Swift panic assailed her It was I early but it might be Tom He mustn't find her here To see him again not knowing even now what It was that had gone wrong would t be e more than she could face Her carefully maintained self-possession self probably would go in a flood of tears ears ars and with it the last remnant of Df her pride all that she had left would be stripped from her She hopped the pencil leaving the note Jar for Thelma barely begun ran out he the door and down the fire stairs before the elevator could reach her floor It didn't stop after all But the fear of being caught there by Toms Tom's arrival stayed with her until she was outside and hurrying across to Washington Square Only when she reached the small park did she slow her pace She found a bench in the cool sunshine and sat down Then watching the placid pigeons the screeching children on skates the mothers pushing carriages and theold the theold theold old n men en playing checkers she tried to keep her thoughts turned from what was happening But it wasn't possible Why The question persisted in asking itself What went wrong Why didn't it work out Shed She'd known it wouldn't be easy A sports writer Tom often had to be away for several days sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times even for weeks And the time when he was gone was just a series of empty days and nights in which she missed him so much the sense of his absence was almost a physical physical physical cal ache But shed she'd known how it would be and knowing had accepted the job of making their marriage wor work She had never fretted or wept when Tom had to be away Shed She'd kissed him goodby lightly and welcomed him back in the same spirit She hadn't clung to him when he left or fussed over him when he re re- re- re turned Men hated that She had never let him guess the horrible loneliness that stayed with her when he was away on an assignment assignment assignment as as- lest it make him feel guilty for leaving her alone so much And shed she'd kept her job writing store copy not because she liked or needed it but because it helped fill the days of waiting when he was away But she hadn't let the job come between her and the home she was trying to make for him With the help of Thelma and much forethought forethought forethought fore fore- thought she had kept it running so smoothly the mechanics of housekeeping never had obtruded upon the time they did have er And yet yet yet- She still could not analyze it Why Tom gradually had become dissatisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied fied and restless Had taken to making excuses for staying away even when he was not on an as as- Then had come the blonde girl I Marlon Marion something fresh out of college college college col col- lege and trying to be a reporter And Tom spending more and more of his time with her until Anne with her own awn need for him so strong had in her disappointment and inability inability in inability in- in ability to guess what was wrong between between between be be- tween them provoked that scene which could not be made up So now he was taking away his things Anne looked at her wrist watch In the turmoil of her thoughts more than an hour had passed She roseand roseand rose roseand and thankfully started back toward the apartment Tom certainly would have come and gone by now Anyway it was over She could start rebuilding her life somehow At least she was thinking as she put her key into the door she had kept her emotions in control Then she opened the door And Andall Andall Andall all thought fled He had not left His trunk and bags were still there and he was standing beside them Anne Tom said as woodenly she closed the door behind her holding to the knob for support Anne He took a step toward her His voice was rough with urgency She YI wn Si p yf A Sw Swift t panic panie assailed her as she heard the elevator begin its humming humming humming hum hum- ming rise He mustn't find her here She left the message unfinished and hurriedly fled led tried to turn tried to open the door to flee but his hands caught her Anne weve we've been fools Or at least I have I need you I know it I never stopped knowing it It was just that you didn't seem to need me need you Tom In surprise surprise surprise sur sur- sur- sur prise she ceased her blind efforts to release herself to look up at him in astonishment But I do Ive I've always needed you The times when you were away away- And then without warning the tears came It was the first time tune she ever had let him see her cry Men hated weepy women but when the tears were over something cold washed away She dried her eyes on Toms Tom's handkerchief and held her lips up for his kiss And she knew then somehow what he meant She had made their marriage a thing light and gay gay and and it had been too light too gay With her casual goodbys and her bright welcomes she had hid her emotions too well That men hate emotion had been her guiding principle But a good marriage has depths A woman must feel needed but so must a man too In avoiding one extreme she had gone to another Tom tried in awkward sentences to explain Tried to tell her about the blonde Marion whose heed need for his help and advice had almost made him think that he But he didn't have to explain She understood understood understood under under- stood all aU he said and more Only when he finished was she dered T ii IL 11 you t let me know though Tom said then his square nicely ugly features twisted in agrin a agrin agrin grin that was tight with the knowledge knowledge knowledge know know- ledge of how close their escape had been if you hadn't put it where I couldn't miss it it- it But she was able to still the question question question ques ques- tion on her lips before it was spoken For she saw the direction of his look and followed it to seethe see seethe seethe the message for Th Thelma lma which she had begun directing her to buy tomatoes and other items but had hadnot hadnot hadnot not stayed to finish And what the abruptly off broken-off message said now instead was NEEDED TOM |