The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-15
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young to understand. You've got
Ito tell Suzy who her father is"
Teresa put the palms of her
hands against her forehead.
YOU'D better 60 to your
room"
"I'll 20 to my room. But re-
member, you can't go back.
Years from now you can't come
back to now. You'll never be
happy. And years from now
what Suzy thinks will probably
matter more than anything else
on earth to you. You'll want her
to love you and admire you
and approve of you. Teresa,
wouldn't want my daughter tc
ask me who her father is"
Teresa spread her hands
across the dressing table and
buried her head in them. II told
you to 60 to your room, Ali
son. It's late and I'm tired"
"You'n never be happy.
You'll never have any peace.
You've worked so hard. Don't
you want what you've earned?
You can't cheat Sam again and
you can't 60 on lying to your
daughter the rest of your life.
Daddy Your father .
It will do it to them You can't
can't do it to them. You can't
do it to yourself"
"You're in love with Sam,
aren't your"
eyes, Teresa. I love him and
I'm in love with him. But you
and Suzy are my family. You're
the only family I've. got. I love
you, too"
Teresa was motionless when
she left her.
In thu morning she old An
nette she would not be home
for dinner. She did not wait for
Annette's pleasantly lifted fea-
lures to fall because she would
have to endure the cold with
Suzy in the afternoon.
All through that unending day
she wondered how she could re-
turn to the house tonight and
see Sam and Teresa and Tere-
sa still pretending. Flight sug-
gested itself. Living with Tere-
sd had become unbearable. But
you had to buy a train ticket
to somewhere and somewhere
at the moment was exactly no
where.
The sun made one of its rare
appearances that day. As she
came out of the business school
it seemed to strike her eyes.
People were moving along the
street, but she had no place to
go. Recalling Tins "too much
time" she began to walk slow
ly. But no one expected anyone
to walk slowly. They looked at
you as though you were mad.
Perhaps I am, she thought.
Perhaps I dreamed it. But no,
this is no dream. Last night
was no dream. Nor is today.
Sans car is parked before the
house. It's there now, Sam and
Suzy will have their play after
her walk and Teresa will come
home. She'll change into some
thing seductive and she and
Sam will have their cocktails
and look at the child. Perhaps
Sam will think, "This is my
former wife and this is my child
and this is where I belong. I
want to see my daughter grow
up and Teresa is her mother.
And Teresa has changed. No
less provocative, but softer.
Kinder and older. She's beauti-
full and exciting and intelligent
and lonely. I'm alone and lone
ly, too"
We're these his thoughts to-
night?
But what of love, Sam? Love,
so maligned, so exalted, so little
understood.
His eyes were so filled with
life and his thoughts and feel
ings. But wasn't it kinder to
see them made empty for a lit
tie while now than later?
Be kind to him, Teresa. Be
honest. You must tell him. Only
you can tell him. Don't cheat
him again. Don't let the years
accumulate over your lies.
They'll consolidate into one big
one and that will be the es-
sence of your life. Perhaps Sam
and Suzy will pity you if they
find out. And pity is worse than
anything. Pity is not for you,
Teresa.
In a, shop window she saw her
lips moving. She walked away
quickly and turned the nexf cor-