“If you don’t at least lend me the money, I’ll call your parents.
I’ll tell them I’m carrying your child. I’ll put the heat on you,
derry.”
She didn’t think she really had the nerve to do something like that,
but she hoped the threat of it would make him be reasonable. “God help
me, I’ll even make you marry me if that’s the last resort, but I won’t
go down alone.”
“What do you want from me, for Christ’s sake?” “Just a little help.
Decency.
That’s all.” “You can’t make me marry you.” “Maybe not,” she
admitted. aBut I can cause you a lot of trouble, and maybe I can force
you to contribute to the support of the baby.” “You can’t force me to
do anything if I’m in another state. You can’t make me pay up from
California.” “Well see about that,” she said, although she thought he
was probably right.
“Anyway, you can’t prove I’m the father.”
Who else?” “How should I know?” “You’re the only one I’ve been doing
it with.”
“I sure wasn’t the first,” he said.
“You bastard.” “Eddie Talbot was the first.” “I haven’t done anything
with anyone else since I started going with you six months ago.” “How
do I know that’s true?” “You know,” Amy said, loathing him. She
wanted to kick him and hit him and scratch his face until it was a
bloody mess, but she restrained herself, hoping she might yet gain some
concession from him. “It is your baby, Jerry. There’s no doubt about
that.” “I never came inside you,” he argued.
“A couple of times you did. Once is all it takes.”
Yf you tried to nail me in court or something like that, I’d get five
or six friends to swear they’d been in your pants during the past
couple of months.” aIn my whole life there’s never been anyone but
Eddie and then you!” aIn court it’d be your word against theirs.”
“They’d be committing perjury.”
“I’ve got good buddies who’d do anything to protect me.” “Even destroy
my reputation?” “What reputation?” he asked, sneering.
Amy felt sick.
It was hopeless. There was no way she could force him to do the right
thing.
She was alone.
“Take me home,” she said.
“Gladly,” he said.
The drive back to town took half an hour. During that time neither of
them said a word.
The Harper house was on Maple Lane, a solidly middle-class neighborhood
of wellmanicured lawns and shrubs, fresh paint, and two-car garages.
The Harpers lived in a two-story, neo-colonial house, white with green
shutters flanking the windows. Lights were on downstairs, in the
living room.
As Jerry pulled the Chevy to the curb and braked in front of the house,
Amy said, aWe’ll probably be passing each other in the halls during
final exam week. And we’ll see each other at graduation two weeks from
now. But I guess this is the last time we’ll be talking.” aBet on
it,” he said coldly.
“sO I wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity to tell you what a rotten
son of a bitch you are,” she said as evenly as she could.
He stared at her but said nothing.
“You’re an immature little boy, Jerry. You’re not a man, and you’ll
probably never be a man.”
He didn’t respond. They were parked beneath a street light, and she
could see his face clearly, he was impassive.
She was angered by his refusal to react to her. She wanted to leave
with the knowledge that she had hurt him as badly as he had hurt her
with his comment about her reputation. But she was not very good at
vituperation.
She didn’t have a talent for quarreling. Ordinarily she preferred to
live and let live, but in this case the injustice she had suffered at
Jerry’s hands was so great that she felt an uncharacteristic urge to
retaliate. She steeled herself to make one last attempt to sting
him.
“One other thing I want to tell you as sort of a favor to your next
girlfriend,” Amy said. “There’s another way you’re like a little boy,
Jerry.
You make love like a little boy. You’re immature in that department,