The Madness Of Love | The Secret History

X

On Monday morning I was able to leave at last, with a bottle of antibiotics and an arm full of pinpricks. They insisted on pushing me to Henry's car in a wheelchair, though I was perfectly able to walk and humiliated at being rolled out like like a parcel.

"Take me to the Catamount Motel" I told Henry as we pulled into Hampden. "No" he said. "You're coming to stay with us."

To say I was in shock would be an understatement. It was hard for me to believe that Henry and Lilith weren't ignoring each other, but learning that they also lived together shocked me to my core.

"'Us'?" I repeated. "You live together?" "Just for the winter vacation" answered Lilith very calmly. "Francis has a cousin who's staying at the apartment, do I didn't really have a choice."

Henry lived on the first floor of an old house on Water street, in North Hampden, just around the block from Charles and Camilla's and closer to the river.

He didn't particularly like to have people over and I had been there only once, and then only for a minute.

It was much larger than the twins apartment, and a good deal emptier. The rooms were big, with wide-plank floors and no curtains on the windows and plaster walls painted white.

The furniture, while obviously good, was scarred and plain and there wasn't much of it. The whole place had a ghostly, unoccupied look; and some of the rooms had nothing in them at all.

I had been told by the twins that Henry (turns out Lilith too) disliked electric lights, and here and there I saw kerosene lamps in the windowsills.

His bedroom, where I was to stay, had been closed off during my previous visit. In it were Henry's books - not as many as you might think - and a single bed, and very little else, except a closet with a large conspicuous padlock.

Some time during the past three days, Henry had gone over and moved my things from Leo's. My suitcases stood at the foot of the bed.

"I don't want to take your bed, Henry" I said. "Where are you going to sleep? Where does Lilith sleep?" "One of the backrooms has a bed that folds out from the wall" said Henry. "I can't think what they're called. I've never slept in it before." Henry got quiet for a moment. "She sleeps on the sofa."

He had a habit of never calling her by her name, and during all the time I've known him I've heard him call her 'Lilith' about two times.

"Why don't you let me sleep on that bed?" "No" said Henry sternly. "I am rather curious what's it like. Besides, I think it's good to change the place where one sleeps from time to time. I believe it gives one more interesting dreams."

--------------------

I was only planing on spending a few days with them - I was back at work for Dr Roland the following Monday - but I ended up staying until school started again.

I couldn't understand why Bunny had said that Henry was hard to live with and that Lilith is a bitch. They were both the best roommates I've ever had.

Henry was quiet and neat, and usually off in his part of the house. Lilith would usually sit in the living room on the sofa (on which she also slept), reading books and listening to music on a record player.

Much of the time Henry was gone when I got home from work; he never told me where he went, and I never asked. Lilith was pretty much always home. It was really cold outside and she hated it (as much as she hated when it was hot outside).

Sometimes, when I got home, one of them would have made dinner. Neither Henry nor Lilith were fancy cooks like Francis. Henry would make plain things like broiled chicken and baked potatoes, and the only thing that Lilith would make was pasta or sometimes salmon with rice. But no matter what they cooked I'd still enjoy it, and we would sit at the card table in the kitchen and eat it and talk.

I had learned better by then than to pry into their affairs, especially Henry's, but one night, when my curiosity had got the better of me, I asked Henry: "Is Bunny still in Rome?"

It was several moments before he answered. "I suppose so" he said, putting down his fork. "He was there when I left."

"Why didn't he come back with you?" "I don't think he wanted to leave. I'd paid the rent through February." "He stuck you with the rent?"

Lilith listened to us quietly and poured some water in her glass. Henry took another bite of his food. "Frankly," he said, after he had chewed and swallowed, "no matter what Bunny tells you, he hasn't a cent in his pocket and neither does his father."

"I thought his parents were well off." I said, jarred. Lilith interrupted her silence and scoffed. She'd do that a lot.

"I wouldn't say that" said Henry calmly. "They may have had money once, but if so they spent it long ago. They may look wealthy, but they haven't a dime. I expect Mr Corcoran is about bankrupt."

"Bunny seems to live pretty well."
"Bunny's never had a cent of pocket money the entire time I've known him" said Henry tartly. "And he has expensive taste. That's unfortunate."

We resumed eating in silence. "If I were Mr Corcoran" said Henry after a long while. "I would have set Bunny up in business or had him learn a trade after high school. Bunny has no business being in college. He couldn't even read until he was about ten years old."

"He draws well" I said. "He sent me a very good cartoon of you and he standing by a statue of Caesar Augustus."

Lilith made a sharp sound that sounded like laughing. "That was in Vatican. " Henry said. "All day long he made remarks about Dagos and Catholics."

"At least he doesn't speak Italian." I said.
"He spoke it well enough to order the most expensive thing on the menu every time we went to a restaurant." said Henry curtly. Lilith laughed and I thought it wise to change the subject and did.