"I intended to wear just the shorts. If the weather is warm. As it is."
"But, Margrethe, I told you not to -"She was unsnapping the skirt, taking it off. "You are defying me!"
She folded it, up neatly. "May I place this in the knapsack? Please?"
"You are deliberately disobeying me!"
"But, Alec, I don"t have to obey you and you don"t have to obey me."
"But - Look, dear, be reasonable. You know I don"t usually give orders. But a wife must obey her husband. Are you my wife?"
"You told me so. So I am until you tell me otherwise."
"Then it is your duty to obey me."
"No, Alec."
"But that is a wife"s first duty!"
"I don"t agree."
"But - This is madness! Are you leaving me?"
"No. Only if you divorce me."
"I don"t believe in divorce. Divorce is wrong. Against Scripture."
She made no answer.
"Margrethe... please put your skirt on."
She said softly, "Almost you persuade me, dearest. Will you explain why you want me to do so?"
"What? Because those shorts, worn alone, are indecent!"
"I don"t see how an article of clothing can be indecent, Alec. A person, yes. Are you saying that I am indecent?"
"Uh - You"re twisting my words. When you wear those shorts - without a skirt - in public, you expose so much of yourself that the spectacle is indecent. Right now, walking this highway, your limbs are fully exposed... to the people in that car that just pa.s.sed, for example. They saw you. I saw them staring!"
"Good. I hope they enjoyed it."
"What?"
"You tell me that I am beautiful. But you could be prejudiced. I hope that my appearance is pleasing to other people as well."
"Be serious, Margrethe; we"re speaking of your naked limbs. Naked."
"You are saying my legs are bare. So they are. I prefer them bare when the weather is warm. What are you frowning at, dear? Are my legs ugly?"
("Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee!") "Your limbs are beautiful, my love; I have told you so many times. But I have no wish to share your beauty."
"Beauty is not diminished by being shared. Let"s get back to the subject, Alec; you were explaining how my legs are indecent. If you can explain it. I don"t think you can."
"But, Margrethe, nakedness is indecent by its very nature. It inspires lewd thoughts."
"Really? Does seeing my legs cause you to get an erection?"
"Margrethe!"
"Alec, stop being a fub! I asked a simple question."
"An improper question." "
She sighed. "I don"t see how that question can possibly be improper between husband and wife. And I will never concede that my legs are indecent. Or that nakedness is indecent. I have been naked in front of hundreds of people -"
"Margrethe!"
She looked surprised. "Surely you know that?"
"I did not know it and I am shocked to hear it."
"Truly, dear? But you know how well I swim."
"What"s that got to do with it? I swim well, too. But I don"t swim naked; I wear a bathing suit." (But I, was remembering most sharply the pool in Konge Knut - of course my darling was used to nude swimming. I found myself out on a limb.)
"Oh. Yes. I"ve seen such suits, in Mazatlan. And in Spain. But, darling, we"re going astray again. The problem is wider than whether or not bare legs are indecent or whether I should have kissed Steve good-bye or even whether I must obey you. You are expecting me to be what I am not. I want to be your wife for many years, for -all my life - and I hope to share Heaven with you if Heaven is your destination. But, darling, I am not a child, I am not a slave. Because I love you I wish to please you. But I will not obey an order simply because I am a wife."
I could say that I overwhelmed her with the brilliance of my reb.u.t.tal. Yes, I could say that, but it would not be true. I was still trying to think of an answer when a car slowed down as it overtook us. I heard a whistle of the sort called "wolf". The car stopped beyond us and backed up. Need a ride?" a voice called out.
"Yes!" Margrethe answered, and hurried. Perforce, I did, too.
. It was a station wagon with a woman behind the wheel, a man riding with her. Both were my age or older. He reached back, opened the rear door. "Climb in!"
I handed Margrethe in, followed her and closed the door. "Got room enough?" he asked. "If not, throw that junk on the floor. We never sit in the back seat, so stuff sort o" gravitates to it. We"re Clyde and Bessie Bulkey."
"He"s Bulkey; I"m just well fed," the driver added.
"You"re supposed to laugh at that; I"ve heard it before." He was indeed bulky, the sort of big-boned beefy man who is an athlete in school, then puts on weight later. His wife had correctly described both of them; she was not fat but carried some extra padding.
"How do you do, Mrs Bulkey, Mr Bulkey. We"re Alec and Margrethe Graham. Thank you for picking us up."
Don"t be so formal, Alec," she answered. "How far you going?"
"Bessie, please keep one eye on the road."
"Clyde, if you don"t like the way I"m herding this heap, I"ll pull over and let you drive."
"Oh, no, no, you"re doing fine!"