Chapter 21
Vivian sat on the platform beside Tim. It was the night before election, and the occasion was a meeting of the Society for the Return of Decency.
He finished his speech, a tortured convulution in which she had counted two hundred and forty-six adjectives. He had been interrupted by applause twenty-seven times. As she looked over the crowd she saw one of the members of the now-famous jury that had tried Eve's case. She no longer cared that Eve and Louise had become lovers. She felt no jealousy, no envy, no ... nothing.
The dull feeling inside of her would not go away, and yet paradoxically, she felt better than she had for a long time. She had attended the trial. She did not know if Eve and Louise had seen her or not. If so, they had pretended not to. All during the proceedings, and tonight, during Tim's speech, she had heard Louise's voice in her mind. "That's the kind of people who end up on juries. They hue to judge people, so they don't weasel out of duty."
She had lived with one of them for too long, but tonight would be their last together. She would go away, tonight, and never see him again, before it was too late...."and now, I'd like you to meet my wife, Vivian. Darling, say a few words to these fine people."
She rose, smiled, and walked forward. She kept on walking, across the platform, down the steps, up the aisle and out of the door.
It was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. The faces bobbing up at her in astonishment were like so many pale balloons. This was much better than her original plan. She knew that nothing she could do or say would equal what they would undoubtedly think.