Show ce F FIr JJ f L FOUR SOUR FLIGHTS By FREDERICK UP LAING TO HEAVEN THE pHE HE landlady was smiling at them A like the wolf in Red You look kinda young to be a married couple Oh we arent aren't married yet Peggy Peggy Peggy Peg Peg- gy blurted out She felt Bills Bill's fingers fingers fin- fin gers jers tighten on her arm So you better show us that apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment before she changes her mind he ic added She glanced up at him with a nervous nervous nervous ner ner- little smile fe feeling ling ashamed wishing she hadn't let him read her thoughts The landlady laughed and Peggy I laughed louder than shed she'd wanted to o. o We want two rooms Bill said two rooms and a decent kitchen And not facing on the street please Too many trucks in Greenwich Village Village Vil- Vil lage age to suit me I adore the Village Peggy said quickly The trouble was the words seemed to jump out before she knew what she was going to say Bill stared up at a long crack inthe in inthe inthe the ceiling Sure we adore the Vil- Vil lage age She pinched him when the landlady landlady land- land lady ady wasn't looking and he gave her hair lair a tug and everything was all allright allright allright right again They followed the landlady landlady land- land lady ady up the stairs She had just the thing hing for them she said A couple of kids like you wont won't mind walking up four flights Oh Dh no Peggy answered Then she glanced at Bill Well VeIl would we Bill looked up at the ceiling again Oh no She knew what he was thinking And it was true She didn't want to toive live ive in a place that had elevators Bad enough to have him come home talking about them every night Bad enough to have to answer the neighbors neighbors' neighbors neighbors' neighbors neighbors' neigh neigh- bors' bors questions with My husband Oh he er sells elevators She could see them lifting their eye- eye brows rows Elevators Pardon me for smiling Mrs Bill but I never knew any anyone one had to sell elevators I always always always al al- al- al ways thought they just hap hap- No definitely not a place with ele ele- ele- ele She didn't want to be reminded reminded reminded re re- re- re minded of her husbands husband's business every time she went in and out of the he house The landlady's short bowed legs were leading them up the stairs briskly showing them how easy it was to climb four flights find fund it nice and quiet here Im I'm sure The gentleman who has it now has been een there three years And hes he's a writer A writer Peggy had kind of a funny feeling all of a sudden Like shed she'd gone up in an elevator too fast A writer That was what shed she'd always thought shed she'd marry some day Or maybe an artist Somebody like ike that Peggy Is Intrigued They were walking up the last flight now and some one upstairs opened a door Dont Don't let him be any better setter looking than Bill she begged As it happened he He was just a pale young man with glasses He tie stood there in his slacks and blue shirt and he looked well on second glance he looked dif dif- dif dif- ferent Nobody would ever take him himor for or a life guard That's what shed she'd thought Bill was that first time when they'd met on the beach Come right in The young man waved something at them It turned out to be a m monkey wrench of all things Dont mind me Im I'm just the plumber Peggy laughed It was so unexpected unexpected unexpected it made her feel good The plumber she said as their eyes met Imagine Some plumber the landlady said gratitude he said look look- I ing at Peggy I 1 do her a favor and she makes fun of my plumbing I think its it's nice if a man knows how to fix the plumbing Peggy Peggy- said She glanced from the thin hands to the thin pale face I really really real ly do He looked pleased Im a a. a painter paint paint- er too he told her Look I painted paint paint- ed this china closet What do you think of the shade It made her feel so flattered to have a writer showing off for her benefit Its a lovely color she told him And then she could feel Bills Bill's eyes on her it Bill BUI Yeah Bill said dryly blue Peggy winced Well that proved he w wasn't color blind Its the same shade as your hat this writer was saying She blushed Think of a mans man's noticing that Yeah Bill said The The way he said it it wasn't exactly a ment the top of the doorway as they went in together This is a dog house he said Peggy was in such a daze she thought he said Dolls house at first it she said excitedly And then seeing his expression What A dog house he said Look I Ican Ican Ican can almost touch the ceiling Listen Listen Listen Lis Lis- ten Peggy Ive I've learned something about buildings in the elevator business busi busi- ness Do you know how old this house is Why it was a dump when they built the Brooklyn bridge Peggy He heard gasped you your Suddenly all the thrill was gone and her heart felt like lead Her eyes were blinking as she turned and went back into the living room Bill followed behind her stooping with an exaggerated wariness as he went through the doorway Her fingers were twisting the engagement engagement engagement en en- ring nervously around t n I I r l Y III I I i 1 II I I I think its it's nice if a man knows how to fix the plumbing Peggy said She glanced fro from the thin hands to the thin pale face I really do If you want to see the apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment the landlady began sharply Then she pulled a smile over her false teeth This heres here's the kit kit- chen Bill said You mean the apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment opens into the kitchen Behind his glasses the young mans man's light blue eyes were looking amused Oh you'll get used to it And it'll give your friends something something something some some- thing to talk about Hes some little talker himself isn't he the landlady saidI saidI said I 1 think hes he's wonderful Peggy said laughing He certainly knew how to make a person feel perfectly at ease Then she got a look at Bills Bill's face She began to feel miserable If only he wouldn't look like that Like a She tried to push the thought out of her mind but it came right back again Like a disappointed disappointed disappointed dis dis- dis- dis appointed salesman Im I'm sure you'll make a mistake if you dont don't buy our elevators Mr Kotch The landlady led them into the living room and when Peggy saw it her heart sat up and begged Her eyes drank in the bookcase that covered a whole wall the original original original inal paintings on unframed canvas the oversized fireplace with three painted masks above it And there was a table with a typewriter and anda a lots of papers up piled-up in in careless careless careless care care- less stacks What darling taste you have She almost said it but she thought about Bill just in the nick of time The bedrooms bedroom's in hi there the landlady said She let Peggy and Bill go into the bedroom by them them- selves Bills Bill's head almost bumped and around One thing sure she wasn't going to marry an elevator salesman Or any other kind of a salesman for that matter Listen honey Bill said gloom gloom- ily If you really like the place It didn't matter Nothing mattered mattered mattered mat mat- now really Just to get out To get away To get out of everything everything every every- thing as painlessly as possible I guess you have to be a writer or something to appreciate it she told him forcing out the words She glanced at the pale young man and managed to smile A writer or an artist U OH H I dont don't know the young man protested with a shrug What kind of stuff do you write Bill asked grudgingly Huh the young man said The landlady laughed Him Hes He's no writer Hes He's my son And she added proudly he sells vacuum vacuum vacuum vac vac- cleaners Run out of the room Run down the stairs she told herself But Bills Bill's arm went around her shoulders shoulders shoulders ders steadying her and his arm armfelt armfelt armfelt felt strong and tender My man is a salesman too she said And she held her head up He sells elevators |