After the War (33 page)

“What?”

She explained the system, and Joseph laughed as he told her, “You sound as though you liked all that. How can I marry a Southern belle?”

She admitted, “Well, I sort of did. It was hard not to, really. You know, it even smells like one of those dances here. Gardenias, we all wore them, but I don’t see any growing, do you?”

He looked around, “I probably wouldn’t know a gardenia from a turnip.”

“You know, what Billie Holiday wears on her ear.” “Oh.”

Melanctha put her hands over River’s ears, such beautiful long brown silky ears. She knew that he didn’t like music; he disliked it almost as much as he disliked thunder, and guns. And she was sure that he would especially not like this goopy garbage.

Deirdre, who had always liked this song, tried not to cry. She was reminded of so many things, mostly dances back in high school, all those good-looking boys, lots of them probably dead by now in the war. And Derek somewhere on the sidelines of the dance, cross, superior, and more handsome than anyone.

Sniffing the air, with a tone of discovery Cynthia told Harry, “You know what? I smell gardenias—”

He sniffed too. “So do I, but I don’t see any around. What are you wearing?”

“Shalimar, of course. But you know what? I’ll bet Dolly’s sprayed that tacky Jungle Gardenia all over, it’s her favorite.”

“Oh, really?”

“It must be, just smell.”

Harry said, “Shalimar, the only true scent.” He smiled, and as though they were about to dance he said, “About Georgetown, what I mean is, you have to come back and live with me. And be my love.”

They both laughed, but then turned to each other and exchanged a quick hard kiss. Assenting.

Watching them from the kitchen door, joyfully, Dolly told Odessa, who was just behind her, “They’re renewing their vows! Oh, I just knew it.”

But Odessa, though smiling politely, only remarked, “You reckon?”

Books by Alice Adams

Careless Love

Families and Survivors

Listening to Billie

Beautiful Girl
(
stories
)

Rich Rewards

To See You Again
(
stories
)

Superior Women

Return Trips
(
stories
)

After You’ve Gone (stories)

Caroline’s Daughters

Mexico: Some Travels and Travelers There

Almost Perfect

A Southern Exposure

Medicine Men

The Last Lovely City
(
stories
)

After the War

The Stories of Alice Adams

A Note About the Author

Alice Adams was born in Virginia and graduated from Radcliffe College. She was the recipient of an Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. She lived in San Francisco until her death in 1999.