2.The Gift
(reed, cale, morrison, tucker)
Waldo jeffers had reached his limit. it was now mid-august which
meant that he had been separated from marsha for more than two
months. two months, and all he had to show was three dog-eared
let
And two very expensive long-distance phone calls. true, when
school had ended and she'd returned to wisconsin, and he to
locust, pennsylvania. she had sworn to maintain a certain
fidelity, she w
Date occasionally, but merely as amusement. she would remain
faithful.
But lately waldo had begun to worry. he had trouble sleeping at
night and when he did, he had horrible dreams. he lay awake at
night, tossing and turning underneath his pleated quilt
protector,
Welling in his eyes. as he pictured marsha, her sworn vows
overcome by liquor and the smooth soothing of some neanderthal,
finally submitting to the final caresses of sexual oblivion. it
was mo
An the human mind could bear.
Visions of marsha's faithlessness haunted him. daytime fantasies
of sexual abandon permeated his thoughts. and the thing was they
wouldn't understand how she really was. he, waldo, alone, unders
This. he had intuitively grasped every nook and cranny of her
psyche. he had made her smile, and she needed him, and he wasn't
there (aaahh..). the idea came to him on the thursday before the
mu
Parade was scheduled to appear. he had just finished mowing and
etching the edelsons lawn for a dollar fifty and had checked the
mailbox to see if there was at least a word from marsha. there w
Thing more than a circular form the amalgamated aluminum company
of america inquiring into his awing needs. at least they cared
enough to write.
It was a new york company. you could go anywhere in the mail.
then it struck him, he didn't have enough money to go to
wisconsin in the accepted fashion, true, but why not mail
himself？ it was a
Ly simple. he would ship himself parcel post special delivery.
the next day waldo went to the supermarket to purchase the
necessary equipment. he bought masking tape, a staple gun and a
medium s
Cardboard box, just right for a person of his built. he judged
that with a minimum of jostling he could ride quite comfortably.
a few airholes, some water, perhaps some midnight snacks and it
wo
Robably be as good as going tourist.
By friday afternoon, waldo was set. he was packed and the post
office had agreed to pick him up at three o'clock. he'd marked
the package 'fragile', and as he sat curled up inside, res
The foam rubber cushioning he'd thoughtfully included, he tried
to picture the look of awe and happiness on marshas face as she
opened the door, saw the package, tipped the deliverer, and then
o
It to see her waldo finally there in person. she would kiss him,
then, maybe they could see a movie. if he'd only thought of this
before. suddenly rough hands gripped his package and he felt hi
Barne up. he landed with a thud in a truck and then he was off.
Marsha bronson had just finished setting her hair. it had been a
very rough weekend. she had to remember not to drink like that.
bill had been nice about it though. after it was over he'd said
t
E still respected her and, after all, it was certainly the way
of nature, and even though, no he didn't love her, he did feel
an affection for her. and, after all, they were grown adults.
oh, wh
Lly could teach waldo - but that seemed like years ago. sheila
klein, her very, very best friend walked in through the porch
screen door and into the kitchen. 'oh, it's absolutely maudlin o
E.' 'ach, i know what you mean, i feel all icky!' marsha
tightened her cotton robe with the silk outer edge. sheila ran
her finger over some salt grains on the kitchen table, lick
R fingers and made a face. 'i'm supposed to take these salt
pills,' but she wrinkled her nose, 'they make me feel like
throwing up.' marsha started to pat herself under the c
An exercise she'd seen on television. 'g-d, don't even talk
about tha
T.' she got up from the table and went to the sink where she
picked up a bottle of pink and blue vitamins. 'want one？
supposed to be better than steak.' and attempted to touch her
S. 'i don't think i'll ever touch a daiquiri again.' she gave up
and sat down, this time nearer the table that supported the
telephone. 'maybe he'll call.' she said to sheila
Ance. sheila nibbled on a cuticle. 'after last night, i thought
maybe you'd be through with him.' 'i know what you mean, my g-d,
he was like an octopus. hands all over the place.＆
She gestured, raising her arms upwards in defense. 'the thing is
after a while, you get tired of fighting with him, you know, and
after all he didn't really do anything friday and saturday
Kind of owed it to him, you know what i mean.' she started to
scratch. sheila was giggling with her hand over her mouth. 'i'll
tell you, i feel the same way, and even after a while,＆q
Here she bend forward in a whisper, 'wanted to,' and now she was
laughing very loudly.
It was at this point that mr. jameison of the clarence darrow
post office rang the door bell of the large colored stucco frame
house. when marsha bronson opened the door, he helped her carry
the
Age in. he had his yellow and green slips of paper signed and
left with a fifteen cent tip that marsha had gotten out of her
mothers small beige pocket book in the den. 'what do you think i
' sheila asked. marsha stood with her arms folded behind her
back. she stared at the brown cardboard carton that sat in the
middle of the living room： 'i don't know.'
Inside the package waldo quivered with excitement as he listened
to the muffled voices. sheila ran her fingernail over the
masking tape that ran down the center of the carton. 'why don't
yo
K at the return address and see who it is from？' waldo felt his
heart beating. he could feel the vibrating footsteps. it would
be soon.
Marsha walked around the carton and read the ink-scratched
label. 'it's from waldo.' 'that schmuck!' said sheila. waldo
trembled with expecta- tion. 'you might as well o
T,' said sheila. both of them tried to flip the stable flap.
'ah,' said marsha groaning. 'he must have nailed it shut.' they
tagged at the flap again. 'my god, you
A power drill to get this thing opened.' they pulled again. 'you
can't get a grip!' they both stood still, breathing heavily.
'why don't you get the scissors,' said shei
Arsha ran into the kitchen, but all she could find was a little
sewing scissors. then she remembered that her father kept a
collection of tools in the basement. she ran downstairs and when
she c
Ack, she had a large metal cutter in her hand. 'this is the best
i could find.' she was out of breath. 'here, you do it. i'm
gonna die.' she sank into a large fluffy couch an
Aled noisily. sheila tried to make a slit between the masking
tape and the end of the cardboard, but the blade was too big and
th
Ere was not enough room. 'g-ddamn this thing!' she said feeling
very exaspe- rated. then smiling 'i got an idea.' 'what？' said
marsha. 'just watch,' said
A touching her finger to her head.
Inside the package, waldo was transfixed with excitement that he
could hardly breathe. his skin felt prickly from the heat and he
could feel his heart beating in his throat. it would be soon. sh
Stood upright and walked around to the other side of the
package. then she sank down to her knees, grasped the cutter by
both hands, took a deep breath and plunged the long blade
through the mid
F the package, through the middle of the masking tape, through
the card- board through the cushioning and (thud) right through
the center of waldo jeffers head, which split slightly and
caused l
Rhythmic arcs of red to pulsate gently in the morning sun...
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