Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates Read Free Book Online Page B

himself.
    He
and Ray Annick: the two older men, you might say: determined to enjoy
themselves.
    Actually,
the first thing The Senator did after greeting his hostess was to draw Ray
Annick off to confer with him, out of earshot of the others; then he asked Bufly could he freshen up, use Ray's shaving kit—he hadn't
shaved, he said, since six o'clock that morning in Washington.
    He
changed out of his inappropriately formal white cotton long-sleeved shirt into
a short-sleeved navy blue polo shirt open at the collar, the knit sleeves tight
on his fleshy biceps. In the shallow V of the collar, a
bristle of steely-gray hairs.
    He
was wearing pale seersucker trousers. That crisp summery puckered look.
    And
beige canvas crepe-soled sporty shoes, L. L. Bean.
    So
there were drinks, on the breezy terrace, many voices simultaneously, and The
Senator easy, friendly, unself-conscious among them though his posture and a
certain focusing of speech, a moderation of tone suggested I realize you are memorizing me, but don't for that reason dislike me as they spoke of the outrage of the recent Supreme Court decisions, the
ideologically sanctioned selfishness and cruelty of a wealthy society, how
systematic the dismantling of the gains of the civil rights movement, the
retirement of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the end of an era.
    The
Senator sighed, grimaced, seemed about to say something further, but changed
his mind.
    At
Buffy's, always there were distractions. New guests arriving,
the prospect of an impromptu tennis tournament.
    Shaking
Kelly Kelleher's small-boned hand, squeezing. "Kelly, is it? Callie? Kelly."
    She'd
laughed. Liking the sound of her schoolgirl name on a U.S.
senator's lips.
     
    He wasn't as I'd imagined him, he turned out to be really warm, really nice, not at
all condescending—
    Shaping the precise words that would
encapsulate, in her memory, in her recounting of memory to friends, perhaps Mr.
Spader himself who had known The Senator years ago but was distant from him
now.
    How courteous, genuinely friendly,
interested in who we were and what we thought of his Senate proposals, the
Medicaid, the welfare reform, yes and he is a visionary, I don't think it is an
exaggeration to say—
    How
crucial for us to rehearse the future, in words.
    Never to doubt that you will live to
utter them.
    Never to doubt that you will tell your story.
     
    And the accident
too, one day she would transform the accident, the nightmare of being trapped in
a submerged car, the near-drowning, the rescue. It was horrible—hideous. I was trapped
and the water was seeping in and he'd gone for help
and fortunately there was air in the car, we'd had the windows shut tight, the
air conditioner on, yes I know it's a miracle if you believe in miracles.

 

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    I want him to. His
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    Her hair, her eyes, her lips... What is
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