Man-woman relationships -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction; Outlaws -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
He sauntered down the long, pleasant corridor lined with murals of
domestic tranquility--family gathered around the dining table, father
and son raking leaves in the front yard, graceful elderly couple
entertaining children and grandchildren at a merry hearth, young
husband and wife going to bed. He was in no hurry now, for the Marriage
Building was legal sanctuary.
He passed the long lines of registering Quickies, men filing into one
room, women into another. He let his glance rove the line of female
Quickies, wondering if his new wife would come from this group. They
ranged in age from eighteen to about sixty, he guessed, and naturally
they were of all conceivable types. He caught himself in time and
stopped looking. It was not considered proper etiquette.
Rounding a turn in the corridor, Simon took the slidestair down one
level to where Transients registered and attached himself to the end of
a long line of men which was swallowed slowly by a doorway above which
was the legend:
MARRIAGE COUNSELORS
Simon checked his counterfeit registration papers and was aware of the
old, familiar feeling of uncertainty. His heart bobbed up into his
throat and pounded there. His palms were clammy, his fingers wouldn't
keep still. Would the papers pass inspection? He was almost certain
they would. But he savored the other possibility although he hated
its ultimate consequences. As some people craved security, so others
thrived on adventure.
Simon lit a cigaret and waited while the line crawled forward,
parallelling a line of female Transients moving through another doorway.
* * * * *
"Sit down, Mr. Grover," the Counselor said as Simon entered the room.
It was a large place with a central aisle and a dozen private cubbies
on either side, each one with celotex walls, a desk, two chairs, the
latest in marriage literature, and a Counselor.
Simon eased his small frame into a comfortable chair and handed his
papers to the Counselor. "I see you have come from Philadelphia,"
the man said, smiling not quite professionally--which, Simon knew,
was the best of all professional smiles. "Were the accommodations
satisfactory? Of course, you don't have to talk about them."
"They were fine. Just fine." Naturally, Simon did not tell the
Counselor about his flight from the police.
"How long will you be with us in New York?"
"I figure about three weeks. It depends on business, though. Might be a
little longer, I guess."
"We'll say three weeks." The Counselor scrawled something on Simon's
registration form. "Now, Mr. Grover, exactly what kind of wife are you
looking for?"
"To tell you the truth, I haven't given it much thought yet."
"Splendid," the Counselor was delighted with the opportunity to expound
on his wares. "As you know, we have six basic types." He removed six
colorful folders from six stacks on his desk and handed them to Simon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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