Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Franklin Delano Roosevelt---some delusion in my flaming eyes and
floating soul----that I drew up in my seat and gasped with amazement. I
saw streams of gold pouring through the sky, and sensed God in the light
just outside the car in the hot sunny streets. I looked out the window
and saw a woman in a doorway and I thought she was listening to every
word we said and nodding to herself---routine paranoiac visions of tea.
But the stream of gold continued. For a long time I lost consciousness
of what we were doing and only came around some time later when we were
parked outside Gregor’s house and he was already at the door of the car
with his little baby son in his arms showing him to us. “You see my
baby? Hees name Perez, he six month age.” “Why” said Neal, his face
still transfigured into a shower of supreme pleasure and even bliss “he
is the prettiest child I have ever seen. Look at those eyes. Now Jack
and Frank” he said turning to us with a serious and tender air “I want
you part-ti-cu-lar-ly to see the eyes of this little Mexican boy who is
the son of our wonderful friend Gregor, and notice how he will come to
manhood with his own particular soul bespeaking itself through the
windows which are his eyes, and such lovely eyes surely must belie the
loveliest of souls.” It was a beautiful speech. And it was a beautiful
baby. Gregor mournfully looked down at his angel. We all wished we had a
little son like that. So great was our intensity over the child’s soul
that he sensed something and began a grimace which led to bitter tears
and some unknown bitter sorrow that we had no means to soothe. We tried
everything, Gregor smothered him in his neck and rocked; Neal cooed; I
reached over and stroked the baby’s little arms. His bawls grew louder.
“Ah” said Neal “I’m awful sorry Gregor that we’ve made him sad.” “He is
not sad, baby cry.” In the doorway in back of Gregor, too bashful to
come out, was his little barefoot wife with anxious tenderness waiting
for the babe to be put back in her arms so brown and soft. Gregor having
showed us his child, he climbed into the car and proudly pointed to the
right. “Yes” said Neal, and swung the car over and directed it through
narrow Algerian streets with faces on all sides watching us with gentle
wonder and secret fancy. We came to
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