Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You by Alice Munro Page A

track. I did it to give him more time, whatever time he needed. I lied for him, and also, I have to admit, for me. Women should stick together and not do things like that. I see that now, but didn’t then. I never thought of myself as being in any way like her, or coming to the same troubles, ever.
    She hadn’t taken her eyes off me. I thought she suspected my lie.
    â€œWhen did he mention this to you?”
    â€œEarlier.”
    â€œWhen you were over at the plane?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou must’ve stayed and had a chat.” She smiled at me, not a nice smile. “You must’ve stayed and had a little visit with him.”
    â€œI took a cake,” I said, thinking that telling some truth would spare me telling the rest.
    â€œWe didn’t have a cake,” said Mrs. Peebles rather sharply.
    â€œI baked one.”
    Alice Kelling said, “That was very friendly of you.”
    â€œDid you get permission,” said Loretta Bird. “You never know what these girls’ll do next,” she said. “It’s not they mean harm so much, as they’re ignorant.”
    â€œThe cake is neither here nor there,” Mrs. Peebles broke in. “Edie, I wasn’t aware you knew Chris that well.”
    I didn’t know what to say.
    â€œI’m not surprised,” Alice Kelling said in a high voice. “I knew by the look of her as soon as I saw her. We get them at the hospital all the time.” She looked hard at me with her stretched smile. “Having their babies. We have to put them in a special ward because of their diseases. Little country tramps. Fourteen and fifteen years old. You should see the babies they have, too.”
    â€œThere was a bad woman here in town had a baby that pus was running out of its eyes,” Loretta Bird put in.
    â€œWait a minute,” said Mrs. Peebles. “What is this talk? Edie. What about you and Mr. Watters? Were you intimate with him?”
    â€œYes,” I said. I was thinking of us lying on the cot and kissing, wasn’t that intimate? And I would never deny it.
    They were all one minute quiet, even Loretta Bird.
    â€œWell,” said Mrs. Peebles. “I am surprised. I think I need a cigarette. This is the first of any such tendencies I’ve seen in her,” she said, speaking to Alice Kelling, but Alice Kelling was looking at me.
    â€œLoose little bitch.” Tears ran down her face. “Looselittle bitch, aren’t you? I knew as soon as I saw you. Men despise girls like you. He just made use of you and went off, you know that, don’t you? Girls like you are just nothing, they’re just public conveniences, just filthy little rags!”
    â€œOh, now,” said Mrs. Peebles.
    â€œFilthy,” Alice Kelling sobbed. “Filthy little rag!”
    â€œDon’t get yourself upset,” Loretta Bird said. She was swollen up with pleasure at being in on this scene. “Men are all the same.”
    â€œEdie, I’m very surprised,” Mrs. Peebles said. “I thought your parents were so strict. You don’t want to have a baby, do you?”
    I’m still ashamed of what happened next. I lost control, just like a six-year-old, I started howling. “You don’t get a baby from just doing that!”
    â€œYou see. Some of them are that ignorant,” Loretta Bird said.
    But Mrs. Peebles jumped up and caught my arms and shook me.
    â€œCalm down. Don’t get hysterical. Calm down. Stop crying. Listen to me. Listen. I’m wondering, if you know what being intimate means. Now tell me. What did you think it meant?”
    â€œKissing,” I howled.
    She let go. “Oh, Edie. Stop it. Don’t be silly. It’s all right. It’s all a misunderstanding. Being intimate means a lot more than that. Oh, I
wondered
.”
    â€œShe’s trying to cover up, now,” said Alice Kelling. “Yes. She’s not so stupid. She sees she got