Among Others

I opened it right away. It was three books! Theodore Sturgeon’s A Touch of Strange, with a lovely cover of a woman’s head and the moon, Christopher Priest’s Inverted World, and something I’d never heard of by an author new to me, Gate of Ivrel by C. J. Cherryh. I was overwhelmed. “Oh Wim, that’s lovely. And I haven’t got any of them. I didn’t have a chance to buy you anything yet, but I did make this for you.” I pulled the poem out of my pocket. I’d written it on nice blue paper Miss Carroll had given me, in my best handwriting. (It’s the one that starts “To drag yourself over the dry rock of the deserts of the mind.”)

He read it, and I waited while he read it, watching him, very conscious of Daniel waiting behind me. Wim blushed and pushed it into his pocket. I don’t know whether he liked it or not.

Then I introduced him to Daniel, and they shook hands like a pair of judges. Things got a little easier when they cooperated in getting the bike into the car boot. Then we all climbed back in and started off for Shrewsbury. I realised as we did that the two of them were going to have to spend an hour together without me while I was having acupuncture. Has anything ever been awkwarder? It served Daniel right for not telling me, but poor Wim didn’t deserve it at all.

In the car, we talked about Zelazny, a subject of deep and unfailing interest, and then we talked about Empire Star and how it could be just an ordinary adventure except that it isn’t. I felt that Daniel and Wim were starting to like each other through all this, though of course Wim was sitting in the back so they couldn’t exactly see each other. We came to Shrewsbury, early for my appointment. We had a little look at the bookshop, and Wim and Daniel had an argument about Heinlein, very much the argument that Wim and I had had, though at greater length. I was on Daniel’s side, and both of them knew it, but I tried to bite my tongue and not say anything and just look at the shelves. When he wasn’t looking I bought Sign of the Unicorn and Cat’s Cradle for Wim, and gave them to him when we got outside.

Then I had to leave them together. They agreed to come to the clinic and meet me afterwards. I have never felt so apprehensive having acupuncture, not even the first time when I was afraid of the needles. I just tried to get my mental breath back when I was on the table, I didn’t concentrate on the diagram or the magic or anything. It didn’t seem to do me as much good as sometimes, or maybe I was better when I went in and didn’t notice the difference the way I sometimes do.

They were waiting for me when I came out, both leaning against the wall. Next to Wim, Daniel looked old and saggy. When I came up to them they were talking about Wim’s experiences at Seacon in Brighton and his hopes for Albacon in Glasgow. “I wish I could go,” Daniel said.

“Why don’t you?” Wim asked.

Daniel just shrugged, looking defeated.

We went to the Chinese restaurant, where we ate essentially the same as last time, Wim and I fumbling with the chopsticks, and talked mostly about Silverberg, with digressions into all the things we’d mentioned on Tuesday night in the Pavane talk. Daniel had read everything except A Dream of Wessex. I could see him and Wim being impressed with each other, which was lovely, and very strange. When Daniel went to the bathroom, Wim took my hand. “I like your dad,” he said.

“Good,” I said.

“You’re so lucky,” he said again.

“I suppose I could be a whole lot less lucky,” I said. Most people wouldn’t think Daniel much of a father, but there are far worse people. Then I remembered the last time Wim had said that and what we’d been talking about. “Oh, this is priceless, he said he’d support me until I finished in full time education. But he hasn’t read—”

Wim burst out laughing, just as Daniel came back, so we had to explain to him. Fortunately, he thought it was funny too.

Wim’s fortune cookie said “You have been given a gift,” Daniel’s said “Fortune favours the brave,” and mine said “The time to be happy is now.”

Then Daniel drove us back. He asked Wim where he wanted to be dropped, and Wim said anywhere in cycling distance was fine, so he dropped him by the roundabout. I got out while they were getting the bike out, and boldly asked Wim for his phone number. “I could call you next week when I’m away,” I said. “And it would have been useful this afternoon.”

“No it wouldn’t, I was coming from work,” he said. But he gave it to me, and Daniel wrote it down too. Daniel then gave Wim his card—he would have a card!—in exchange. Wim and I hugged, and kissed very decorously, then Daniel drove me back to school in time for prep.

Friday 15th February 1980