Bring Everybody: Stories

Chapter 3 - Gophers

BOOKCOMP, Inc. — University of Massachusetts Press / Page 20 / Printer Proof / Bring Everybody / Yates 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 [20], (20) Lines: 306 to 313 ——— 0.4pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [20], (20) Gophers Just one of the details Violet remembered: nobody on the animal rights panel wore leather shoes. She had easily noticed their feet, the panelists seated behind a folding table on a low stage. One of the men was actually wearing plastic sandals over socks, if you can imagine. That was the gentleman from back East who spoke about Pythagoras and the Hindus and the doctrine of the transmigration of souls. All you have to remember about that, Violet decided, is this: a cow or a pig—any animal for that matter— could be your late Uncle Louie. She was so awake now—intending to sleep, yes, eyes shut and snug under the down comforter, but nothing could keep such an evening from replaying. The other speakers had been wearing jogging shoes or some kind of canvas shoes like so many people do these days, except that most men don’t with ties and sport coats. Her late husband had worn only wing tips—even his golf shoes were wing tips, but then Donald had absolutely no imagination. He liked animals, but he wouldn’t think to consider, to ponder for even a moment, what an animal’s life is like. Maybe after retirement, she thought, maybe then Donald would have had time for that kind of thinking, but he had been taken by an angioma at forty-seven, and she had buried him in his best black brogans. The panelists were nothing like Donald . College professors can dress just any old way, and especially philosophers, who are trained to be strange. She laughed aloud, still keeping her eyes shut, but yes, it was true. Long ago she had – 20 – BOOKCOMP, Inc. — University of Massachusetts Press / Page 21 / Printer Proof / Bring Everybody / Yates Gophers – 21 – 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 [21], (21) Lines: 313 to 319 ——— 0.0pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [21], (21) seen a picture of Woody Allen wearing black and white high-top sneakers with a tux. He was in a receiving line, and Mrs. Betty Ford, then first lady, was doing the receiving. John Lennon had not worn leather shoes either, Violet seemed to recall, but couldn’t be absolutely sure. All these associations. She was much too awake. Of course it makes sense that if you are trying to save animals from needless suffering, you don’t go around with their dried flesh next to yours! She rolled over on her stomach and crossed her arms under the pillow. Had she thought about the shoes during the discussion, she might have looked to see what kind of belts the professors had on, what kind of briefcases they carried, watchbands even. She knew Professor Tiermann’s briefcase was made of fabric, like soft luggage. He brought it to class, and she noticed things like that. The students had always been busy talking to one another before the lectures began, but Violet was not part of their group and so observed more. And she remembered how she had always been so hungry then, because practically speaking, staff members could only take classes offered during lunch hour. How that course had opened her eyes! Not that she didn’t know many things. She did; she was by no means ignorant. But Professor Tiermann taught her how to think about the things she already knew and examine them in ways she never had. Which was precisely why she was not lying awake over inconsequential matters like the panelists’ footwear or Professor Tiermann’s dark eyes. That was only a little part of it, a little window dressing to her store of thoughts. She had decided a major bit of deciding that night and could not be expected to sleep. Always she had liked animals, but never had it been possible to do enough for them, because doing enough meant actively changing other people’s attitudes. That was what the gentleman from back East said. Think about it...