Myra-Breckinridge-Gore-Vidal

marvelous if fiery fate. "But what can we do to stop all thisfrom happening?" Mary-Ann was plainly alarmed. "Don'thave children. That is the best thing. A gesture of course,but better than nothing. And try to change your attitudesabout what is normal." Then, in quick succession, Idelivered a number of anthropological hay_ makers.Proper womanly behavior for an Eskimo wife is to go tobed with anyone her husband brings back to the igloo.Proper manly behavior for the Spartan warrior was to makelove to a boy while teaching him how to be a soldier. I gavea rapid review of what is considered proper sexualbehavior in Polynesia and along the Amazon. Everything Isaid came as revelation to Rusty and Mary-Ann, and theywere obviously horrified by the unnaturalness of what wasconsidered natural in other parts of the world. I believe 1planted a seed or two. MaryAnn of course could neverprostitute herself like an Eskimo wife nor could Rusty evermake love to an adolescent boy ("those teeny-boppers giveme a pain"); yet each now regards his old certainties asbeing, at least, relative. That is progress. As could beexpected, it was Mary-Ann who mounted the counterattack."Maybe you're right when you say there's nothing that'sreally basically normal but when everybody tells you thatthey want you to behave in a certain way, like marrying oneman and having only his children, isn't that the right thing todo because doesn't the society deep down know what it'sdoing, and is trying to protect itself?" Unexpectedly she hadmade a good point. Not once in all these weeks have Isuspected her of possessing a true intelligence. Obviously I