For many times it happened for him to take her to the fair. That’s how they began to know each other. Sometimes her father, who was working in the mine, used to take him “up” and “down”. And this is how before going in the army Marie had Josef as a lady’s man, although she was just 17 years old. After he left for the army she waited for him. At his coming back from the army she was 19 years old, she became a woman, a beautiful one, agile in her work and her talking. They liked each other and if we think about it they knew each other for some years.
Lately they used to spend all day together. Despite all this he still didn’t ask her for marriage …
Every night he used to take her home. Sometimes he used to have a chat with her parents, other times he was in a hurry, on account of how tired he was or the mood he was in.
One night, Marie’s father asked him to go in “the front room”. He served him with plum brandy, they talked, and I think it was about the wedding. About this matter Josef didn’t say anything from his coming back from the army.
Before that, almost daily, they used to make plans about what they will do and how it will be after they will get married. After they would wash the car in the spring’s water, they used to hang out in the grass and make plans for the future again.
Since he got off the army he was sort of a quiet person, tougher. And this would not be a problem but for her it become harder and harder to avoid him, to dismiss his erotic aggression, on the impulse that he is becoming to aggressive. The real thing is that he also likes him a lot and she wants him too and she can’t find any other good cause to save her virginity.
Marie was telling somebody:
– Lately I am afraid to meet him. I feel I won’t be able to bare all this. When he puts his hand on me I shiver all over, a heat goes through all over my body. My mother tells me I lost weight. Who wouldn’t lose weight if she were absorbed like this daily? Who wouldn’t lose weight embracing his touching and sweet words, and all this time thinking that “it is still not allowed, it can’t happen yet”, “we are not married”? What is, in fact, marriage? And if we get married he would care more for me? He would love me more than he loves me now? God, what thoughts get me! I feel restless of all this thoughts and behaviors. Nobody tells me what I should and how I should do it! Whether I’m right or wrong? I wonder why Josef doesn’t say anything about our marriage.