Thursday, July 12, 2018

out


by emily de villaincourt




"the world”.

what was this “world” that adriana had heard mother and her aunts and uncles and sometimes even the servants talk about all her life, but which they had never really described to her?

and what did it mean to go “out” unto this “world” ?

today was adriana’s birthday, and tonight there would be a party for her. tomorrow, if everything went as planned, she would go “out” into the world.

whatever that meant.


the party was a pleasant enough one, even though there was chocolate cake, and not the strawberry cake that adriana would have preferred, although of course she did not complain..

there were presents, too, and they were nice enough, although many of them seemed very familiar , as if she had received them before, but again she did not say so.

later that evening, mother took adriana aside.

“tomorrow, as you know,” mother began, “you are going to go out into the world.”

“yes, i know,” adriana replied.


“do you know what to expect?” mother asked.

“no, i have absolutely no idea.”

“well, you are going to encounter people.”

“but i have been encountering people all my life, have i not?”

“yes, but these people will be different. they will be neither relations, nor servants.”

“what!” adriana exclaimed. “what are they, then?”

“you will find out,” mother replied with a slight grimace. “i hope you will find them pleasant enough. the important thing to remember, though, is that if you do not like the world, we can find another one for you. i would hope, though, that you will find the one you encounter tomorrow satisfactory.”


“i hope so, too,” adriana replied, as that seemed to be the answer mother wanted.

in the morning redfield, the chauffeur, drove adriana down the hill further than she had ever gone before. they continued driving for several miles, but adriana had never been one for talking to the servants, so they rode in silence.

finally they reached the streets of a little town that looked somewhat familiar to adriana from videos and picture books she had seen.

“here you are, miss,” redfield informed her. “i will be back to pick you up this evening. but if you decide for any reason you want to return sooner, just call.”

“thank you , redfield.”


“you have the sandwiches mrs white made for you?”

“yes, i do.”

“and there are other places you can get food,” redgield continued, “such as that one.” he pointed to a little diner. “and of course you have plenty of money.”

“i understand, thank you.”

with a tip of his cap, redfield drove off.

adriana looked around. she did not see any people. she saw a green bench, such as she had seen in videos, and went and sat down on it.

finally a person appeared, a clean cut young man carrying a briefcase.


“hello,” adriana said to him as he approached. as she had a vague idea as this was the proper thing to do.

“hello yourself,” the young man replied. with a slightly surprised air, and walked on.

about a half hour later, another young man, not so clean cut and not carrying a briefcase, walked by.

adriana did not speak to him but he spoke to her as he walked by.

“nice legs,” he said.

adriana looked down at her legs. she supposed they were nice enough. what would have been wrong with them?


a few other people walked by without speaking to her, or arians speaking to them, and one woman walked by and did not even seem to notice that adriana was there! which amazed and confused her.

when she got hungry, she decided not to eat the sandwiches made by mrs white and went over to the little diner redfield had pointed out, and ordered two hot dogs and cole slaw and a glass of milk.

in the diner she got into a conversation with an elderly gentleman about football. adriana knew a little bit about football but could not follow the old man’s intricate and lengthy disquisition on it.


that evening, when mother asked her how her trip had gone, adriana tried without success to express a little enthusiasm.

“it was all right, i guess,” she said.

“maybe you can try again tomorrow, “ mother told her hesitantly. “maybe you will find it a little more to your taste.”

uncle giles, sitting in his great red leather chair, overheard their conversation. “nonsense!” he exclaimed, snapping the pages of his copy of the times, “if the child doesn’t like the world, we will just get her a new one. no call not to. it’s as simple as that.”


“i suppose you are right, giles,” mother agreed.

adriana did not argue. the rest of the evening passed smoothly enough. adriana played some of the phonograph records that aunt eunice had given her as a birthday present the day before , and perused the pages of chatsworth’s collection of the folk tales of finland, a book she did not recall opening before.

she wondered what tomorrow would bring.



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