Beth

Saturday, July 16 (After Chapter 2 of Triptych)

BETH: Hello?

aroslav: Hi Beth. This is aroslav. Is this a good time to talk?

BETH: Oh. Yeah. Tony said you'd call. I've got a few minutes.

aroslav: Sorry we have to do this by phone. It must be eight o'clock there in Nebraska, right?

BETH: Yeah. What time is it there?

aroslav: 1968.

BETH: Funny.

aroslav: We're two hours different. It six here.

BETH: So what did you want to know?

aroslav: Well, I'm interviewing the people who are important to Tony and just trying to get to know them better. We could start with your full name.

BETH: Elizabeth Ann Carpenter. Tony calls me Dumpling, but absolutely nobody else does.

aroslav: Birthday?

BETH: Veterans Day. I'll be 20 this year.

aroslav: Ever get confused about that? I understand that Veterans Day is still a pretty big deal in Nebraska.

BETH: I have great honor and respect for those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. I might not politically agree with the reason they are sent to war, or even that war is an appropriate response to any political situation, but the men and women who serve their country honestly and bravely deserve every thanks that we can give them. I'm proud that my birthday is a day dedicated to honoring those who have served.

aroslav: It sounds like you've given that speech before.

BETH: Anytime an asshole asks me the question.

aroslav: Point taken. You are really my only contact Tony's age that grew up with him. I know you are living in the Boston area during the school year, but can you tell me a little about growing up in Nebraska?

BETH: Well, Fremont isn't a big city like Omaha, but it isn't Podunk, either. We've got pretty much everything that everyplace else in America has. Walmart, YMCA, the Mall. We're the antique capital of the Midwest, which might not sound like much, but there are some pretty amazing old things in those stores.

aroslav: So what did you do as a kid?

BETH: Stayed inside and read books. Um ... it's not like there's nothing to do, but I wasn't exactly Miss Social when I was growing up. I was always overweight and knowing it didn't help. Seemed like there was no reason to shape up because no one liked me anyway. In high school I reshaped my image, if not my body. I forced myself to be social, was on every committee I could get on, was on the student council ... you know. Everything except dating. Except once or twice, you know.

aroslav: What about Tony?

BETH: Oh sure. There were several of us who were on the outside looking in. Kent, Wayne, Catherine ... we all hung around each other when no one else would. But don't get me wrong. I did lots of stuff in school. I edited the yearbook, was in Future Teachers of America, was in charge of decorating for the prom, sang in the church choir. Whenever someone needed something done, I was the one they called on. I was even class president one year.

But I was still isolated. I was valedictorian, but that just made it harder to let people know I wanted to go out. People figured I was smart because I didn't have anything else to do. I didn't really date much in high school.

aroslav: Not even the prom?

BETH: A bunch of us went together. We had a big table, but no one was with anyone else. It was fun. It was best when Tony and I decided to try kissing, just so we'd have the experience. He's a much better kisser now than he was then, by the way. But I was giggling when I came back in and Marlene wanted to know what was up, so I went out with her to tell her what we'd done. She was going on about how she could never do that with a boy and she was so envious. So I said, "Here, I'll show you," and I kissed her. I don't know which of us was more surprised, but when we pulled away from that first kiss, she dove in and kissed me back.

I don't know if that woke anything up in her, but it sure lit a fire in me. I went to sleep a lot of nights comparing the memory of those kisses. Marlene and I are in way different worlds and there is nothing that would ever develop between us. I hear she's engaged and living in Omaha. But the sweet taste of a girl on my lips was all I needed to know; there was a future for me.

aroslav: So you lost weight.

BETH: I started. I'd dropped ten pounds before I got to Wellesley. Nobody noticed. It's hard to break habits when you are still in the same environment. Tony and I were both excited about college, but whenever we talked, we were eating a burger. I don't know why he never gained weight. I guess his dad kept him physically active and his mom always cooked the best, healthy meals. It was after I got to college that I was able to focus on dropping the weight. Barbara helped.

aroslav: Your girlfriend?

BETH: Yeah. We found each other the first week of school. It was interesting having a new best friend who was a girl. Most of the girls I knew in high school only hung around me to make themselves look more appealing to the boys. Tony was my best friend and we had always been there for each other in high school.

Barbara was concerned about her weight. Not that she needed to be. She's trim and beautiful. But she helped me get into an exercise routine and I started to drop the pounds. We didn't realize we were more than friends until November. By that time, the text messaging with Tony had dropped off. He didn't send me a birthday wish, the fuck. Well, we were both really busy in school, even though Tony complained a lot. He was getting a little depressing.

Then, suddenly I realized Barbara and I were holding hands when we walked to class and kissing when we said goodnight. By Christmas we were lovers and I was giving and getting more sex than I thought possible. We switched things around when we got back for Winter Session and roomed together. We stayed that way until they kicked us out of the dorms on Memorial Day.

Barbara said she thought I was a College Lesbian and that I'd go back to boys now that my body image was better. She broke up with me at the airport.

aroslav: Was she right?

BETH: I don't know. I don't think so. I like girls. In fact, I'd have to say I mostly like girls. I'm not repulsed by boys, though. It certainly didn't bother me any to kiss Tony this summer or when he ... um ... touched me. And I've had things ... in me ... before. Having the thing attached to a boy instead of a girl doesn't turn me off. But given the opportunity to bury my face in a hot, wet ... I think I still prefer girls.

aroslav: Are you getting back together with Barbara?

BETH: She's not coming back to school this fall. I haven't talked to her since we left for summer. She sent me an email that said she was taking a year off to go explore the world. It went to a distribution list. But, you know what? There's other people in the world.

aroslav: Speaking of the world, your major is International Relations, right?

BETH: Yes. I'd like to work at the UN or perhaps the State Department.

aroslav: Why?