THE FEMININE VIEWPOINT

by and about women

CAMOUFLAGE

Georgiana Blaker

.E.

She wished he had not insisted on coming with her tonight. Leone had wanted to come by herself to sit here in the new opera house their city had just finished building a few months ago, and hear Marianne.

But the man who was Leone's husband had reminded her that although he hated opera and was not interested even that her dearest friend was singing the leading feminine role in FAUST, still Leone was too far along in her pregnancy to be going anywhere alone now.

He hadn't even wanted her to come with an escort. "But, if you insist on taking the risk of having our son born in an opera house," Paul had said, "then it's best that I go along with you!"

Our son! Paul had said but her own heart was saying, Our daughter! It's going to be a girl!

While the orchestra was tuning up for the Overture, Paul gave her a final farewell look like the one an early Christian about to be tossed to the lions might have given his beloved. Then he whispered a few honest comments.

"Why did you have to choose seats in the very first row? I'm not complaining about the price we paid for them, but to be this close to the stage is enough to twist one's neck forever out of joint!"

But I want to be close to Marianne, Leone thought as close as I can get. For after tonight I may never see or hear her again. Marianne did not know Leone was here or that it still mattered to her to be close to her. She had stopped writing to Marianne after her marriage to Paul. So Marianne had gone on alone with her singing until now the whole world worshipped her and wanted her.

35