“Well,” he said, finally, gently, Eble’s book popping up in his mind, “Tell me about yourself.” He paused. “Anything at all that comes to your mind about yourself.” He said, tenderly. “Don’t be bashful.”
She said, suddenly, “I’m scared of you.”
“You are?” Tiger said, “Of me?” He grinned.
She gave a little smile, “I don't know why I am.”
“Let’s find out.”
She gave a little laugh. How Tiger loved that laugh.
“How can we do that?” She asked, at last.
“What are you scared of—” He asked, “About me?”
“Well—I don’t know—” the girl said.
“Because I’m white?”
Mona stared at him. He sat calmly, letting her stare at him. He continued observing her. They had marvelous uplift. He had first noticed in Civics class, at the beginning of the new school year. Certainly, Tiger mused, contemplating them, in his mind, unbared before him, they were something. He had never seen a brown pair before. It would be something. Uplifted, he gazed warmly.
“I—” she said, definitely flustered, “That could be.”
“I know iL"
“I never have felt too good with whites,” she told him,
hesitantly.
“And I can believe that,” Tiger said, softly, “and understand that,” he also said, quietly.
“So that’s what mainly comes to my mind,” she said.
He nodded, slightly.
Pretty Maids All in a Row 165 “How old are you, Mona?” He asked.
“Seventeen.”
“Just?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“You’re very attractive—you know that?”
She smiled, she shifted in her chair, they shifted with her. Tiger loved it.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Do you know that?” He repeated.
“Well—” she said, trying not to look at him, “I guess I’m not bad—”
“Oh, you know it.”
She smiled again, looking at him, “I’ll take your word for it.”
“Are you happy here?” Tiger asked.
“Sawyersville, you mean?”
“That’s right.”
She thought about that. Tiger waited patiently, watching her think about that. He glanced at her legs. His eye traveled upward along those well formed legs. The knees were together. And above there—
“On the whole—” she said—“Yes.”
“You’re doing pretty well here. You’ve been making good grades in just about everything—”
She had brains, certainly.
“I try my best.”
“What do you think about what happened yesterday?” He suddenly asked.
“Awful, just awful. Really bad” She said.
Tiger nodded his head.
“Do you mix much with the white girls?”
“Well—” she said. “I don’t live in Sawyersville—naturally—and I think that’s the main trouble. See? Because the girls really are nice. On the whole, 1 mean. I’m pretty sure they would mix.”
Tiger nodded.
“Jill was awfully nice—” the girl said, very quietly.
Tiger nodded.
“Was she a friend of yours?” He asked, very quietly.
She was looking at him. Without a doubt, he saw loss in her eyes.
“She was,” she replied, softly, “and that was very nice of her, because she didn’t have to be—being a Senior—and everything—” Mona paused. “We used to talk together a lot—we worked together on the school paper—did you know?” Tiger didn4 know. “I was planning on asking her over to my house—” She paused—“Sounds crazy, maybe, but—that’s how sincerely friendly she was.” She paused. “I mean, you know, a lot of white girls—and boys—are just plain insincere when they’re ‘friendly’ to us—” Again she paused, as Tiger nodded.
“Is that why you’re scared of me?”
A pause.
“It could be—” she said, finally, very quietly.
“Well—” Tiger said, “I thought that was it.”
Silence. He sat calmly, patiently, waiting for more, meanwhile feasting his eyes on her. Those magnificent hips. The thrust of those young hips. Her slim waist. She was divinely formed.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Tiger asked.
“Well—” she replied, looking at him, “Not a steady—■** “Date a lotr She waited a bit.
“Oh—I go out maybe once a week. Not always on dates though.” She paused. “I sometimes go to dances and things with girl friends—” She stopped.
“Where do you go when you date?”
“It—depends—” She paused, still looking at him. He could sense the ever-growing rapport, that phenomenon without which human life would be very poor. In fact, it was its core. He felt warm. He wondered if she was warm. Her eyes were deep brown, full of contact and warmth. She was still scared, somewhat, though. But—at this stage —that wasn’t uncommon—of course. He had seen it often before—
“Sometimes a movie—” She said, her eyes on him, and pausing to catch a little breath, while he admired her lips, her pink tongue, “Sometimes just to dance, or to roller skate—oh, all kinds of things!” She paused, smiling at him. “One boy takes me to motorcycle racing. I don’t like that very much.”
Tiger nodded, and smiled too.
“How are they?” He asked, casually.
“How do you mean?”
“Are they good to you?”
“My boyfriends?”
“That’s who I mean.”
A pause, her eyes stayed on him. What warmth in them.
“Oh—they’re alright.” She said.
“Are they all colored boys?”
“Yes,” she replied, “I’ve never been out with a white boy.” She added. Somewhat shyly.
Tiger nodded, feeling ever closer to the maid.
“Do any of your boyfriends go to school here?” He asked.
“Well, I’ve been out with Jim Green a few times,” she informed him, with a smile.
“He’s a good kid,” Tiger said.
“Oh I like him a lot. He’s lots of fun. And smart.”
“I know he’s smart.”
“But it’s nothing serious,” she sighed, “I’m too young for that.”
Tiger grinned.
“You feel you want to wait awhile before getting serious —” He said.
“That’s right,” she said, nodding her head, and relaxing in her chair a bit more, entering a new stage of rapport, Tiger noted, “Because after all there’s plenty of time for that—isn’t there? Mr. McDrew.” She paused. “I mean, you’re only young once.”
Tiger, saying nothing, only nodded wrarmly. He couldn’t agree more. Of course. He felt all those years—behind him. He saw Mona—before him.
“He does,” she answered, somewhat surprised, it seemed.
He grinned. “I know because it’s on your records, I just took a glance at them, before you came in,” He explained.
“He’s a cook,” Mona said.
Tiger nodded.
“Mother works too—” she said, “in an office—” she also said, “Did you know that?”
“Secretary?” Tiger asked.
“Something like that.” Mona smiled. “She types an awful lot!”
“Does she bring it home sometimes?” He asked.
“What?”
“Work—officework—” He grinned.
168 Pretty Maids All in a Row “Oh, just once in a great while—”
“I’ll bet you’re glad of that.”
“I’ll say I am. Oh, but don’t worry I help quite a lot in
the house.”
“I’m sure you do.”
Silence now. Tiger kept on looking at her. She wasn’t afraid of his gaze. She met it openly, warmly. He was aware of the warmth in her.
“What do you think you’d like to do—When you finish school?” He asked.
“Well—I’d really like to go to college. I’d really like that, I’m not sure what I’d study, but a lot of the time I think I’d like to be a teacher. I like teachers,” She said.