The Q

by Beth Brower

“Staying with someone. Companionship is one of the great arts of the human soul.”

Quincy made a disagreeable noise; she had never cared for months whose names sounded frivolous. April was the worst of the lot. February was a close second.

“Only that I believe”—Arch lifted his shoulders, and the look on his face was so unguarded Quincy surprised herself by listening—“that each one of us has times when what we need most is someone who is willing to sit quietly by, waiting for us. Not interfering, just being.”

“Why not?” Arch said lightly. “We will talk business, and poetry, and whatever else we find interesting.” “I don’t care for poetry.” “You will. Not as much as I do, but you’ll learn to appreciate that I appreciate it. That’s part of maintaining connections with people. You give yourself a little to what they give themselves to a lot. And they do the same for you.” “Sounds boring.” “I suppose it is, if you’re not focused on the person you’re doing it for,” Arch answered.

Enough preaching? Not wanted? Not needed?” He motioned towards Quincy. “I say: Preach! Preach! If you know of a higher ideal, if you see a better way for mankind to exist, then preach! Don’t sit quietly by because of your own imperfections! What happens when a set of imperfect people spend their time talking about becoming better? Chances are one or two of them might actually choose to become better. Unless we buy the hedonistic drivel of the day, what keeps us from it? Are we so scared of failing? We’re human! We fail. We fall.”

“We sin. And yet something calls us towards perfection. Do you know why? Because we’re good for it. We have the capacity to examine our lives and improve, to change.

No sense in being small because someone else doesn’t have the courage to measure up.”

Do I wish that you would realize that I’m being selfish in wishing you paired with me at the ball? Yes. I am being selfish, Quincy, and I want to be with you because I want to be with you. But don’t you dare think for one moment I don’t consider you the most capable person of my acquaintance.”

“I don’t know how you exist as you do. Isn’t it exhausting, to think well of so many people?” “Quite the opposite, Quincy St. Claire,” Arch said, a light smile on his face. “I think people are the most worthwhile use of our time,

He had taken her as a mix of good days and difficult days and had managed to maintain his bizarre idea that she was worth having in his life.

Besides, where I may not raise a hand for myself, it would be a cold afternoon in hell before I wouldn’t do it for you.”

she just wanted someone to sit down in the mud of the whole affair and tell her it was all right to be broken. That’s all Quincy wanted, to be sad and be told it was just fine. And be told that she would be just fine.

“Fools and their windows. They while their lives away, when they should step out. Then the adventure begins.”

All you had to do was be there.”

“I want you to tell me that, somehow, something can be unbroken.”

What else, I wonder, is Quincy St. Claire capable of? In the not too distant future, I hope you will have the courage to find out.