A Night Without Gatsby

Chapter 3- Catching Up

I followed Daisy around a chain of connecting verandas to the porch in front. We sat down, side by side on a wicker settee.

"We don't know each other very well, Nick", she suddenly stated. "Even if we are cousins... you didn't come to my wedding..."

"I still wasn't back from the war."

"That's true..." She hesitated sonewhat. "I've had a bad time, Nick... I'm pretty cynical about everything now..."

Well, of course. She had enough reason to be. I waited, but she said nothing more. After a moment I returned rather feebly to the topic of her daughter. "I suppose.... she can eat and talk and walk?"

"Hm? Oh... yes..." She looked at me, absently. "Listen Nick... Let me tell you what I said when she was born. Would you like to hear?"

"Very much."

"It'll show you how I've gotten to feel about... things... Well... she was less than an hour old, and Tom was God knows where... I woke with an utterly abandoned feeling... I asked the nurse right away whether it was a boy or girl. When they replied it was a girl, I wept. I said "All right. I'm glad it's a girl, and I hope she'll be a fool. That's the best thing a girl can ever be... a beautiful little fool..."... You see... I think everything is terrible anyhow..." She went on, in a convinced way.

I could only listen on, and know that after a few moments, she would return to her fake charm and smile. Sure enough, in a moment she looked at me with an absolute smirk on her lovely face, as if she had asserted her membership in a rather distinguished secret society in which only she and Tom resided in.

When we went back inside, Ms. Baker was already heading upstairs to sleep.

"She's a nice girl." Tom inquisited after a moment. "But they oughtn't to let her run around the country this way..."

"Who oughtn't to?", inquured Daisy coldly.

"Her family." "Her family is one aunt who's a thousand years old. Besides, Nicky is going to take care of her. Aren't you Nick?" The two seemed at a constant bicker. They looked to each other in silence.

".... Is she from New York?" I tried to break the ice up. "No, she's from Louisville. Our white girlhood was passed together there. Our beautiful--"

"Did you give Nick a little heart to heart talk on the veranda?" Tom suddenly demanded to know. I said nothing.

"Did I? I don't recall. I do remember talking about the Nordic race though--"

"Don't believe everything you hear, Nicky." He advised with a stern harsh tone. I said that I had heard nothing, and went to leave for home. They came to the door with me and stood side by side in a cheerful square of light. I turned on the ignition when Daisy suddenly called out to me.

"Nicky, wait, darling! I forgot to ask you. We heard you were engaged to a girl in the West. Is it true?"

"Yes, we heard you were engaged." Tom gave off a kind vibe. "Well... I'm not...." I blushed lightly in embarrassment. Who would come up with such a rumor?

"But we heard it!" Daisy insisted in an urgent matter. "We heard it from three people! So it surely must be true!!" I merely shook my head no and drove off.

Their interest rather touched me, and it made them less remotely rich... Nevertheless I was confused and slightly disgusted at the situation as I drove back home. I couldn't understand why Daisy didn't just up and leave with her child... But apparently there were no such intentions in her head. As for Tom having 'some woman in New York' wasn't really all that surprising.

I reached my little estate and parked my car under its roof. I suddenly saw a silhouette on the dock of Mr. Gatsby's mansion. I decided to call out to him, realizing it was Gatsby himself. But his stillness and the way he looked relaxed stated he was rather content being alone. He stretched his arms outward in a weird way, and from where I was standing it seemed he was trembling. I glanced seaward to see where he was reaching to. A slow, blinking green light from the other side of the bay could vaguely be seen by me. When I looked back to Gatsby's direction, he had vanished, leaving me alone to see that gleaming bright light.

I hesitantly turned my back to it, and went inside to rest.

Authors Note: Yay!! Part three!! All credit to Scott Fitzgerald!!