Picture Dictionary & Books : Free for English Learner!

"She grew up on the Left Bank in Paris.

Her father was an artist and her mother was a writer, and they taught her to read at home, starting with Chaucer, probably.

She never read a kids' book in her life.

"Anything I ever tell her about school pretty much sounds either childish or stupid to her. What I really love is science—experiments and stuff—and she can't see that for beans."

"Our science teacher is a dope," I say, because she is, "so I really never got very interested in science.

But I told Mom and Dad I was coming to the aquarium to take notes today, so they wouldn't kick up such a fuss."

Mary shakes her head.

"We ought to get our mothers together. Mine thinks I'm wasting time if I even go to the aquarium. I do, though, all the time. I love the walrus."

"What does your pop do?"

"Father? He teaches philosophy at Brooklyn College. So I get it from both sides. Just think, think, think.

Father and Nina aren't hardly even interested in food. Once in a while Nina spends all day cooking some great fish soup or a chicken in wine, but the rest of the time I'm the only one who takes time off from thinking to cook a hamburger. They live on rolls and coffee and sardines."

Mary puts our cups in the sink and then opens a low cupboard.

Instead of pots and pans it has stacks of records in it.

She pulls out West Side Story and then I see there's a record player on a side table.

What d'you know? A record player in the kitchen! This Left Bank style of living has its advantages.

"I sit down here and eat and play records while I do my homework," says Mary, which sounds pretty nice.

I ask her if she has any Belafonte, and she says, "Yes, a couple," but she puts on something else.

It's slow, but sort of powerful, and it makes you feel kind of powerful yourself, as if you could do anything.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's called 'The Moldau'—that's a river in Europe. It's by a Czech named Smetana."

I wander around the kitchen and look out the window.

The wind's still howling, but not so hard.

I remember the ocean, all gray and powerful, spotted with whitecaps.

I'd like to be out on it.

"You know what'd be fun?" I say out loud.

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