Something plus Something

Rosemary had another dinner date, a birthday party for a member of the company.  Dick ran into Collis Clay in the lobby, but he wanted to dine alone, and pretended an engagement at the Excelsior.  He drank a cocktail with Collis and his vague dissatisfaction crystallized into impatience - he no longer had an excuse for playing truant to the clinic.  This was less an infatuation than a romantic memory.  Nicole was his girl - too often he was sick at heart about her, yet she was his girl.  Time with Rosemary was self-indulgence - time with Collis was nothing plus nothing. 

Part II, Chapter XXI, Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published 1934. 

I love that his dissatisfaction crystallised into impatience and the idea that time with Collis was nothing plus nothing.  They're two very lovely little thoughts, one begetting a prickly visual and the other just a funny sort of phrase to muse over. 

We found out about the shortlist for school captain today.  We've been waiting on tenterhooks for days and days, disappointed as it's been postponed and postponed again.  But now we know.  I was in music and one of my best friends, (one of the male candidates), came in and told us that all four of the guys got shortlisted, but he didn't know about the girls.  And so we waited, flinching whenever the door moved.  Then the year level coordinator came in and I jumped out my skin.  My friends told me afterwards that I immediately flushed bright red.  I skipped out after him and in the privacy of the hallway he told me that I was shortlisted!!!  I was so delighted.  After I thanked him and asked a few questioned, he went off to finish telling the other candidates and I returned to my music room in silence.  I was very unsure who to lock eyes with, and no one locked eyes with me straight away.  I think that they were all scared that I hadn't got it.  But then I stuffed all and exploded and we danced and screamed and laughed and hugged and it was a wonderful little moment of heaven.  

Of course, others were disappointed with the results and it felt a bit as though it was awful and insensitive to stay so cheerful and bouncy.  But where congratulations were due, we gave them, and where support and compassion were needed also, we hugged and back-patted and complimented.  All-in-all, it was a great day, and I'm excited to my core about its results.