Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

Their quarrel miraculously removed the distance between them and brought them closer.When she raised the issue of the apartment again, Tom was not as firm in his refusal as she had expected.It seemed that after he withdrew her gift, promised to forget the money borrowed, and reconciled with each other, he put aside his qualms of conscience.Together they decorate the room and have a lot of fun.The chauffeur's wife helped him clean up the room and prepare breakfast.Julia had a key, and sometimes she would go in and sit alone in the little living room, waiting for him to come back from the office.They went out to dinner and danced two or three times a week, and then took a taxi back to the apartment.

Julia had a merry autumn.The script they staged was a success.She feels alive and young.Roger was coming home for Christmas, but only for a fortnight, before leaving for Vienna.Julia expected that he would have Tom usurped, and made up her mind that he would not mind.Young people naturally liked being with young people, and she told herself that she needn't worry if they were inseparable for days at a time and Tom didn't care about her.She has him under control now. He prided himself on being her lover, which gave him self-confidence, and he was glad that it was through her, after all, that he had been able to intimately know many famous people, great and small.He was anxious now to join a high-class club, and Julia was helping him find his way.Charles had never refused anything from her, and she must have believed that with a little artifice he could be coaxed into recommending Tom to one of his clubs.Tom had money to spend, which was a new and pleasant feeling for him; she encouraged his extravagance; she had an idea that once he got used to a certain way of life, he would realize that she was indispensable.

Of course it couldn't last, she told herself, but when it was over it would be a remarkable experience for him.It really will make him a man. But while she thought to herself that it couldn't last, she didn't really understand why it couldn't.As the years go by and he gets older, there won't be any glaring differences between them.After ten or fifteen years, he will no longer be so young, and she will still be as old as she is now.They get along very comfortably together.Men are slaves of habit!So women can hold them so firmly.She didn't feel older than him at all, and she was sure he had never thought of the difference in age between them.Indeed, on this issue, she once had a brief uneasiness.

She is lying on his bed.He was standing in front of the dresser, shirtless and brushing his hair.She lay naked, in the pose of a Titian Venus, a portrait she remembered seeing as a guest at a country house.She felt that she had really become a lovely picture, and she held the position, confident in the full confidence that she presented a beautiful figure.She is contented. This is Rommath, she thought, a small smile on her lips. Seeing her like this in the mirror, he turned around without making a sound, and only pulled up the quilt to cover her.Although she smiled at him kindly, she was rather surprised by his gesture.Was he afraid she would catch a cold, or was his British sense of propriety terrified by her nakedness?Otherwise, is it possible that after the sexual desire of this hairy boy is satisfied, seeing her half-aged body is a little disgusting?

When she got home, she took off all her clothes again, and examined herself carefully in the mirror.She decided not to be tolerant of herself.She looked at her neck, and there was no sign of aging there, especially when she raised her chin; her breasts were small and firm, as big as a girl's breasts.Her belly was flat, her hips were not large, and there was a little fat in one place, like a long sausage, but that was something everyone had, and Miss Phillips could handle it anyway.No one could say that her legs were not well-grown. They were long, slender, and beautifully lined. When she touched her body with her hands, the skin was as soft as velvet, and there was not a single spot on it.Of course she has a few lines under the eyes, but you have to stare to see them, and they say there's an operation to get rid of them now, and it might be worth asking; luckily her hair's still there Color, because hair, no matter how well dyed, stiffened the face; her hair was always a vivid dark brown.Her teeth are fine too.

Prudence is what it is. She recalled for a moment the bearded Spaniard in the sleeping car, and she smiled mischievously at herself in the mirror. He doesn't talk about being so damn cautious. But all the same, from that day on, she acted carefully in accordance with Tom's code of decency. Julia's reputation was so great that she thought she would not hesitate to appear in public with Tom.Going to nightclubs is a new experience for her, and she likes it very much; although she knows better than anyone that no matter where she goes, it is impossible for someone to watch her, but she never thought that this change in her living habits would inevitably cause discussions .She has a history of 20 years of fidelity, of course, the Spaniard is not an exception, that is an adventure that any woman may encounter by chance, so she is convinced that no one will suddenly think that she is having an affair with a young man who is young enough to be her son Relationship.It never occurred to her that though Tom should be cautious, maybe it wasn't always possible.It never occurred to her that the look in her eyes when they danced together gave her away.She considered her position to be privileged, and it never occurred to her that people were finally buzzing with gossip.

When this kind of gossip reaches Dolly.She laughed when de Vries heard it.She had invited Tom to parties at Julia's request, and once or twice to her country house for a weekend, but she had never paid any attention to him.He seemed a fine little chap, a useful ambassador for Julia at a time when Michael was too busy, but definitely insignificant.He is the kind of person that no one notices anywhere, even if you have seen him, you will not remember what he looks like.He's the kind of extra guy you pop in to make an even number of dinner party attendees.When Julia spoke of him, she happily called him my boyfriend or my lad; if there was anything between them, she couldn't have been so cool, so frank.And Dolly knew very well that there were only two men in Julia's life, Michael and Charles.tameri.But it was strange how Julia, who had been so self-conscious for so many years, suddenly started going to nightclubs three or four times a week.

Dolly had not seen her much of late, and was indeed somewhat indignant at Julia's neglect.She had many friends in the theater circle, so she began to inquire.She was extremely dissatisfied with what she heard.She didn't know what to think.It was obvious that Julia had no way of knowing what was being said about her, so someone had to tell her.She couldn't; she didn't have the courage.Even after knowing each other for so many years, she was still a little afraid of Julia.Julia was a very soft-tempered woman, not easily offended, though she was sometimes rude; but she had a certain air about her that kept you from being too bold with her; and you had a feeling that if you went too far, You will regret it later.Yet something must be done.

For a fortnight Dolly brooded over it in her mind, agonizing over it; trying to put her own hurt feelings aside and think only of Julia's career, and finally came to the conclusion that it was necessary for Michael to speak to her.She had never liked Michael, but he was Julia's husband after all, and it was her duty to tell him, vaguely, to at least push him to stop what was going on, whatever it was. She called Michael and asked him to meet at the theater.Michael disliked Dolly as much as she did him, though for different reasons, and could not help cursing when she heard that she was going to see him.He resented his inability to persuade her to sell her share in the theatre, and resented any suggestion she made as meddling.Yet when she was ushered into his office, he gave her a warm welcome.He kissed her on both cheeks.

Sit down, please. You're welcome.Come and see if this old theater is still giving you bonuses, shall we? Dolly.De Vries was by this time a woman of sixty.She was fat, and her face, with that big nose and thick red lips, seemed bigger than it really was.Her black satin dress was somewhat masculine, but she wore a double-wrapped pearl necklace around her neck, a diamond pendant on her breast, and another on her hat.Her short hair was dyed a rich copper color.Her lips and nails were painted fiery red.Her voice was loud and deep, but when she got excited her words often overlapped and leaked some Cockney accents.

Michael, I'm very upset about Julia. Michael, always a proper gentleman, raised his eyebrows a little and pressed his thin lips together.He wasn't going to talk about his wife, not even with Dolly. I think she's gone too far.I don't know what is holding her.Those parties she goes to now.Those nightclubs and more.After all, she wasn't a young woman any more; she would break the body in vain. Hey, bullshit.She's as strong as a horse and has a fantastic body.She looks younger than in previous years.You don't want to envy her when she sees her having a little fun at the end of a day's work.The role she's playing right now isn't very demanding; I'm glad she likes to go out and have fun.It just goes to show how much energy she has. She never liked that set of tricks in the past.It seemed strange that she should suddenly start dancing in the harsh surroundings of those places until two o'clock in the morning. This is the only exercise she has.I can't expect her to put on shorts and go for a run in the park with me. I think you should know that people are starting to talk.This will greatly damage her reputation. What exactly do you mean by that? Oh, isn't it absurd at her age to be so noticeable with a young lad? He didn't understand for a while, so he looked at her for a while, and when he understood what she meant, he burst out laughing. Tom?Don't be so stupid, Dolly. I'm not stupid.I know what I'm talking about.Anyone who was as famous as Julia was hanging around with the same man, people would talk about it. But Tom was her friend as well as mine.You know very well that I can't take Julia out dancing.I have to get up at eight o'clock every day, and I have to exercise before I work all day.Hell, I've been on stage for thirty years, so I understand some human nature.Tom is a very good typical English lad, pure in heart, honest and honest, and a gentleman.Perhaps he was in love with Julia, and boys of his age tend to think they are in love with women older than themselves, well, it does him no harm, only good; Poor Dolly, you make me laugh. He's a nasty guy, and he's dull, and vulgar, and he's a snob. Well, since you thought he was such a man, you seem to think that Julia is obsessed with him, don't you think it is very strange? Only women know what women can do. That's a good line, Dolly.We will ask you to write a script next time.Now let's make this question clear.Can you look me in the face and tell me you really think Julia and Tom are having an affair? She looked him straight in the face.Her eyes were pained.It turned out that although she had only laughed at the gossip about Julia at first, she could not quite suppress the doubts that came over her afterwards; she thought of many little things, which at the time had not attracted her attention, but when she calmed down and thought about them, she felt very strange. suspicious.She was mentally tormented by what she had always thought unbearable.What about the evidence?She had no proof; she had only a gut feeling that she had to believe it; she wanted to say yes, and it was almost impossible to stop the words; but she stopped anyway. She could not betray Julia.The fool would tell her, and then Julia would never speak to her again.He might spy on Julia and catch her on the spot.If she tells the truth now, there's no telling what the consequences will be. No, I can not. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to roll down her fat cheeks.Michael could see that she was sad.He thought she was ridiculous, but understanding her suffering, he tried to comfort her out of compassion. I'm sure you don't really think she has anything like that.You know how much Julia likes you, and you mustn't be jealous if she has other friends. God knows, I'm not jealous at all, she sobbed, how much she's treated me lately.She is so cold to me.What a loyal friend I have been to her, Michael. Yes, dear, I know you are. If I serve my God with half the zeal of serving the king Will said.) Oh come on, things can't be that bad.You know, I'm not the type to talk about my wife with other people.I always thought that was inappropriate.But, you have to know, to be honest, you don't know Julia at all in the first place.She is not at all interested in sex.When we first got married, it was a different story, but after all these years, I might as well tell you, she was a little overwhelming for me then.I'm not saying she's a nymphomaniac or anything, but she's pretty annoying sometimes.Sex itself is fun, but there are other things in life.But after Roger was born, she changed completely.Having a baby settled her down.All those instincts of hers went into acting.You read Freud, Dolly; what did he call this phenomenon? Hey Michael, what do I care about Floyd? Sublimation (Note:).correct.I've often thought that's what makes her such a great actress.Acting is a job that takes all your time. If you want to really play well, you have to put your whole body and mind into it.What I can't bear most with the public is that they think the lives that actors and actresses lead are unromantic.We don't have time for nonsense. What Michael said annoyed her, and it restored her self-control. But, Michael, maybe you and I both know that there's nothing really wrong with Julia hanging out with that bum boy all day.But this greatly damaged her reputation.After all, one of your two greatest strengths is your exemplary married life.Everyone respects you.The public likes to think of you as an incredibly loyal, close couple. That's what we are, hell. Dolly was getting impatient. But let me tell you that people are talking gossip.How could you be so stupid as not to think that they were bound to do so.I mean, if Julia had been in scandal after scandal, no one would have cared, but she's been doing quite well for years, and now that something like this is happening all of a sudden, everyone's going to gossip.How bad is this for business. Michael shot her a quick glance.He smiled. I know what you mean, Dolly.There may be some truth to what you say, and you have every right to say it under the circumstances.You treated us very well when we first started, so I would hate to put you at a disadvantage.Let me tell you a way: let me buy your shares. Buy my shares? Dolly straightened up, and her frowning face suddenly became serious.She was breathless with rage.But he continued to speak in a pleasant manner. I see what you mean.If Julia was out all night having a good time, it must have affected her acting.This is obvious.She's got a fantastic audience, old ladies who come to our matinees because they think she's such a lovely, nice woman.I'm willing to admit that if she let herself be talked about, our box office could suffer.I know Julia well enough to allow no one to interfere with her freedom of movement.I am her husband and I have to put up with it.But your position is completely different.I won't blame you if you take advantage of this opportunity to get out. Dolly was now alert.She's definitely no fool, and when it comes to business, she's on par with Michael.She was annoyed, but this anger gave her the strength to control herself. Over the years, Michael, I think you should know that I'm not such a bad guy.I would have thought it was my duty to warn you, but I am prepared for good and bad.I'm not the kind of woman who sees a boat sinking and runs for her life.I can say that I can afford to lose more than you. She saw the look of disappointment clearly on Michael's face and was filled with joy.She knew he was serious about money, and hoped that what she had just said had hurt his heart.He calmed down quickly. Anyway, think about it, Dolly. She picked up her handbag, and they parted after exchanging a few friendly words of civility. Stupid old bitch, he said after the door closed behind her. Pompous old ass, she hissed as she descended the elevator. But when she got into the very expensive limousine and drove back to Montague Square, she could no longer hold back the heavy, painful tears that filled her eyes.She felt old, lonely, sad and helplessly jealous.