CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next day Mr Pontellier wanted his wife to meet him in the afternoon at a store in order to buy some new shelves for their library. Edna refused to come, for she did not feel that they needed new shelves.

"Why don't you try saving some money, instead of always spending it?" she suggested a little angrily.

"You should know by now that people don't get rich by saving money. They get rich by making it."

He felt disappointed that she did not plan to go with him. However, there was no time to think much about this. He had to leave for work. He gave his wife a kiss, told her she was looking a little unhealthy and should get some exercise, and then headed for his office.

Edna went out on the front porch and stood for a short time. Her two children were playing in the yard. Their nurse followed them close behind and pretended to be having as much fun as they were. Edna then pulled a few flowers from the vine that grew along the wall of the porch and put them in her pocket without thinking.

Her face looked empty. She cared very little about what was going on around her and suddenly felt like she did not belong to this world.

She went back inside and took a look at some of the pictures she had drawn in the past. The mistakes were obvious to her. She began to try and improve one of them, but soon found that she was not in the mood. She then chose several of the worst pictures and, after showering and dressing for the day, took them with her out of the house. She began to think about Robert. Many times she had tried to forget about him, but he would always eventually return to her thoughts. She could not prevent it. And it was interesting that her thoughts were not memories of certain things the two of them had done together. Her thoughts were simply about him. He was somewhere out there in the world. He existed. And that was enough to make her constantly think about him.

It was Madame Ratignolle's home that Edna was walking toward with her paintings under her arm. Their friendship had remained as strong in the city as it had been at Grand Isle. Her home was not far from the Pontellier's. Mr Ratignolle owned and operated a small drug store that was located on the ground floor of their apartment building. He had an excellent reputation as an honest and hard-working businessman. Edna found her friend putting away her recently washed clothing. As soon as she saw Edna arrive, she stopped what she was doing.

"Oh! Now just one moment," she said, "Let me give the servants some things to do first." After giving her servants a list of things to do, Adèle took Edna's hand and pulled her to a comfortable room at the front of the house.

Madame Ratignolle's beauty seemed even greater than before. The gown that she wore fit her body very well and left a lot of her skin uncovered.

"You know, one day I'd really love to draw you. I've been thinking about taking some drawing lessons lately. I brought a few old things I'd done before. Have a look at them. What do you think? Should I continue to study or should I give it up?" Edna was well aware that Adèle knew almost nothing about drawing, but she wanted to hear some words of encouragement from her friend. She needed to hear them.

Madame Ratignolle took the pictures from Edna and looked them over carefully. "Oh! These are wonderful. Why, I feel like I could reach into the picture and pick up one of those pieces of fruit in it. It's so real! You really shouldn't give it up, Edna."

Her friend's praise did not make Edna feel any better. She kept a few of the pictures and gave the rest to Adèle as a gift. When Mr Ratignolle came into the house a little while later, his wife proudly showed him the pictures Edna had given them. He smiled and thanked Mrs Pontellier. He was a very friendly man.

The three of them sat down to have lunch in the dining room. Mr Ratignolle thought that Edna was looking a little unhealthy and suggested she take some of his medicine. He then chatted with the women about all sorts of things. His wife listened with great interest and laughed at all of his jokes. When the food was served, Edna found that it was excellently prepared and tasted delicious.

When she left them, Edna could not help feeling sad. The Ratignolles were certainly happier than the Pontelliers, but their happiness seemed empty and false to her. She felt that her friend Adèle would never get to experience life as it really was meant to be experienced. She was too well protected from the world, from troubles, from the things that make life interesting.

(end of section)