My Library

Here is his life: "I" There—at the first intrusion, was a rather lonely man. He
was not particularly successful in his field (architect-contractor), and not too
gregarious. He came of what might be classified as a low-income group, and
succeeded in going to the equivalent of a minor college. He spent much of
his early career in a large city in an ordinary job. He lived on the second floor
of a rooming house, and took a bus to work. It was a strange city to him, and
he made few friends. (The bus, incidentally, was very wide, seating eight
abreast, and seats rose behind the driver in successively higher tiers, so that
all could see the road ahead.) My first intrusion caught him just as he was
getting off the bus. The driver looked at him suspiciously when I tried to pay a
fare. It seems that none is charged.
The next intrusion came at an emotional crisis. "I" There met Lea, a wealthy
young woman with two children, a boy and a girl, both under four years of
age. Lea was a sad, wistful, and somewhat preoccupied person, who
seemed to have experienced some major tragedy in her life. This had some
relationship to her former husband, but was not clear. "I"
There met her quite accidentally, and was deeply attracted to her. The two
children found in him a great companion. Lea appeared only mildly interested
at this first meeting. Her greatest response lay in his attention to and warmth
for the children.
A short time later an intrusion occurred just as Lea and "I" There had
announced to friends—her friends—that they were going to be "married" (this
has a slightly different connotation). There was much consternation among
the friends, chiefly due to the fact that it had been only thirty days (?) since
some major event had occurred in Lea's life (divorce, her husband's death, or
some physical debilitation). "I" There was still greatly attracted, and Lea was
still sad and introspective.
A later intrusion came when Lea and "I" There were living in a house in a
semipastoral surrounding. The house sat on a low hill, had long rectangular
windows, and very wide eaves much like those of a pagoda. The railroad
curved around the hill some three hundred yards in the distance, the tracks
coming in from the right in a straight line, then across the front of the hill, then
around to the back and to the left There was deep green grass from the steps
of the house, down over the roll of the hill. Behind the house, "I" There had
an office, a one-room building where he worked.
On this occasion, Lea entered the office and came over to the desk just as I
had replaced "I" There.
"The workmen want to borrow some of your tools,' she said.