Our story today is called "A Girl for Walter". It was written byTheodore Jacobs, here is Shep O'Neal with the story.
We never knew what Walter was. But we called him, ur, idiot. We calledhim that without knowing if he really was as foolish and stupid as anidiot.
Walter worked for a food store. He carried food to the homes thatordered it on the telephone. When we saw Walt coming down the street,pushing his four-wheel wagon filled with food, we knew we would havefun. We stopped playing our games and followed him. We always saw himcoming. He wore the same clothes every day, a brown hat, green shirtopened at the neck and a pair of gray pants. We recognized the way hewalked too, long slow steps with stiff legs. We followed him down thestreet, trying to walk as he did. Often we would try to pull his hatoff and say how funny he looked. Walter did not seem to be troubled byour words except when we talked about girls.
When one of us asked him how his love life was or said. "Hey, Walt, Ihear a beautiful woman is looking for you." He would get very angry.
He would push his food wagon with one hand and try to capture one ofus with the other. If he caught one, he held him close to his face andshouted in a loud voice "I am going to get a girl, I am going to get agirl." Sometimes he would say it again and again even when we gettired of making fun of him. He would walk down the street shouting tohimself: "I am going to get a girl."Walter did not bring food to our house. Mother was afraid of him. Shewent to a different store and bought the food home herself. Whengrandmother came to live with us, this changed. Grandmother liked allsorts of people. She was interested in people no one else loved.
During her life she had made friends with men who drank too much,women who ate too much and people who were just very lonely.
Grandmother worked with church groups for many years but finallystopped. I think she could not work with them because she did notagree that it was right to try to change a person. Grandmother likedpeople for what they were. If she knew a man who drank too much, shewould not tell him to stop drinking. She would tell him how to drinkand still be a gentleman. Once she wrote a book on ten different waysto drink and still act as if you had not had a drink. The importantthing to grandmother was that things were done well in the right wayand with control.
When grandmother learned about Walter, she told my mother she wantedWalt to bring the food to the house. Mother of course was stronglyagainst it. She thought all sorts of strange things would happen. Shedid not trust Walt. But grandmother simply said "Oh, pooh! you are 42years old, Sara." And then she telephoned the people at the food storeand told them to let Walter bring the food.
Walter and grandmother became friends. The first time he came to thehouse, he told grandmother he was going to get a girl. Grandmotherseemed pleased and told him how nice it would be. She said the troublewith young man today is that they do not know how to win a girl'sheart. "You must be an artist." She said. Walter just stood there andlistened. Grandmother then told him how her husband won her heart. Shetold him about her marriage and the great love there was between them.
As he listened, Walter made funny faces and moved his mouth from oneside of his face to the other. When she finished her story, she askedWalter where he met his young ladies.
Walter did not say anything. "I can understand how difficult it is foryoung people to meet these days." Then she said in a low voice, "Ifyou meet a nice young lady, Walt, do you know how to act? " "What? No,I don't." Walter said. "Well, you should." Grandmother said. And shetold him how.
Walter and grandmother became very close. Every time he came withfood, she had a talk ready for him. It was funny to me, but to Walterand grandmother it was very serious. Later she began to read books toWalter, a little from a book each time he came. The first book wascalled how to dress when you go out with a girl. The next book toldhow a young man should act when he meets the girl's mother and father.
Walter seemed to enjoy the readings at least he listened. He wouldstand next to the wall and wrinkle his nose. If grandmother expectedmore from Walter, she never showed it. She continued reading to him.
As time passed, Walter listened harder than before. He never took hiseyes off grandmother as she read. When she smiled he smiled too. Whenshe was serious Walter became serious. She read about the problems ofearly friendship, how to become better friends and how to decide ifyour girl is the right one to marry.
Grandmother was almost finished reading one day when Walter stoppedher. "Know something, Mrs. Gorman? I have a girl." "How wonderful!"Grandmother answered. "I really do, a girl like you always talking."Isn't that wonderful? Where did you meet her? " "A friend helped me.""Isn't that exciting? Tell me about her. Is she nice?" "I like hervery much." "Well, she must be. What is her name?" "I forgot. Bettisomething. I told her my name was Walter." " Were you kind to her anda gentleman?" "All the time I told her nice things." "I am proud ofyou, Walter. Is she pretty?" Walter did not answer. He told again howhe met her.
It seemed to me that he had to say a thing more than once or no onewould believe him. "She must be nice." grandmother said, "I hope youcomb your hair and wear a coat when you see her. And you must promiseme that you will always be a gentleman."After that grandmother read how to choose the right wedding ring, andhow to be prepared for marriage. She seemed to be in a hurry as ifWalter might get married before she had finished his education.
Nothing mother said helped. Grandmother continued to teach Walter. Thenext book she read to Walter was how to love your wife. Soon aftergrandmother finished reading it, she died, just like that. It wasdifficult to believe. It was only after I saw them lower her body andcovered it that I knew she would not come back.
The morning after she died, Walter came with food. Mother went to thedoor. "Mrs. Gorman is dead." She told Walter. "She died last night."Walter did not move at first. He did not seem to understand or hethought she was lying. He then tried to enter but mother shut the doora little. "Can't you understand she is dead? No one is here. She diedlast night. Please do not come here again." Walter just stood there,his face white. Mother closed the door on him. She telephoned the foodstore and told them not to send Walter any more.
I did not see Walter again for a long time. I had forgotten all abouthim and the days grandmother had read to him. Then one day I saw him.
He looked different. He was wearing a suit of clothes, the coat wasold and the trousers had been worn many times. He wore a white shirtand a necktie. I waited until he walked up to me and I walked alongwith him. "Hello, Walter, do you remember me?" He turned quicklytoward me then smiled as he recognized my face. "Oh, sure, hiya, howare you?" "I am fine, Walter. How are you doing?" "Thank you, O.K. Howare you doing?" "Fine". We walked a few steps in silence. Suddenly Ihad the odd feeling that grandmother was still alive, and that Walterwas still coming to the house. Without thinking, I asked, "How is yourgirl, Walter?" Suddenly he was on me holding and tearing my shirt. Hepulled me close to him and shouted, "She is still alive. She is stillalive." His cry was loud and real. He pushed me away from him and Ifell to the ground. He ran down the street. As I got up, I could stillhear him crying until his voice was lost among the sounds of playingboys. |