CHAPTER THREE

Mr Pontellier came back from Klein's hotel at eleven o'clock. It was a great night. He was excited and talked a lot. His wife, who had been asleep for several hours, woke up to the sound of his entering the bedroom. He told her some of the stories and jokes he had heard that night, but she was too tired to answer him.

He felt disappointed that his wife, who was the most important thing in his life, showed so little interest in what he said.

Mr Pontellier had meant to bring candies and peanuts home for his sons, but the idea had completely left his mind while playing pool. He loved his children very much, and he went to their room to make sure they were sleeping well. What he found did not make him happy. One of them, Raoul, was rolling about in bed and talking in his sleep.

He went back to his wife and told her that Raoul had a temperature and needed to be cared for. He then went over to the chair by the bedroom window and relaxed for a bit while smoking a cigarette. Mrs Pontellier was pretty sure that Raoul did not have any fever. She explained to her husband that the boy was fine and that there was nothing strange about him during the day. Mr Pontellier, however, was sure that he was correct. He then yelled at his wife for not caring for the kids enough. He could not do it himself because it was his responsibility to go out and make money for the whole family. It was her job and she was not doing it well enough.

Mrs Pontellier jumped out of bed and ran to the next room to check on the boys. When she came back, she did not speak a word to her husband, but simply got back into bed. Mr Pontellier changed his clothes and then got into bed, as well. He fell asleep almost immediately.

Mrs Pontellier, however, could not sleep any more. She started to cry, using her sleeves to wipe the tears. She put on her shoes, went to the porch, and seated herself in a chair.

It was after midnight and everything was dark and quiet. There was only the sound of a bird high up in a tree and the insistent voice of the ocean. Everything sounded sad.

Mrs Pontellier could not stop crying. She did not know why she was so sad. Before now, she had always appreciated her husband's sweetness. Unpleasant thoughts about him had never entered her mind. She never questioned her happiness.

She felt a kind of pressure that she was not able to describe. It came from a strange area of her mind. An unclear pain surrounded her. She did not blame her husband. She was just letting herself have a good, long cry.

The next morning Mr Pontellier got up early to prepare to go back to New Orleans. He would be gone for a full week. He had calmed down about the night before and was looking forward to getting back to work.

Before leaving, Mr Pontellier gave his wife half of the money he had won the night before at the club. She happily accepted it. She counted the money and said: "I'll use this to buy a wedding dress for my sister, Janet!"

He laughed, kissed his wife, and then said goodbye. Everybody loved Mr Pontellier. It was common for the other guests and staff to gather to say goodbye to him. Everyone waved and smiled to him until his car turned a corner and drove out of sight.

Several days later, Mrs Pontellier got a package from her husband from New Orleans. In it were the best fruits available, as well as several bottles of syrup, and plenty of candies for the kids.

Mrs Pontellier shared the box with all of the ladies and their children. They took away handfuls of the food and said that Mr Pontellier was the best husband they'd ever seen. Mrs Pontellier had no choice but to agree.

(end of section)