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who?
” she say.
“Forrest.”
“Forrest?
Forrest Gump!
” an suddenly she rush out the door an thowed
hersef into my arms.
Jenny an me, we set aroun backstage an caught up on things till she
had to play her nex set. She had not exactly quit school, she had got
thowed out when they foun her in a feller’s room one night. That was a
thowin-out offense in them days. The banjo player had run off to Canada
rather than go in the Army, an the little band had broke up. Jenny had
gone out to California for a wile, an weared flowers in her hair, but she
say them people is a bunch of freaks who is stoned all the time, an so
she met this guy an come with him to Boston, an they had done some
peace marches an all, but he turned out to be a fairy, so she split up with
him, an took up with a real serious peace marcher who was in to makin
bombs an stuff, an blowin up buildins. That didn’t work out neither, so
she met up with this guy what teached at Harvard University, but it
turned out he was married. Next, she went with a guy that had seemed
real nice but one day he got both their asses arrested for shoplifting, an
she decided it was time to pull hersef together.
She fell in with The Cracked Eggs, an they started playin a new kind of
music, an got real popular aroun Boston, an they was even gonna go to
New York an make a tape for an album nex week. She say she is seein
this guy that goes to Harvard University, an is a student in philosophy,
but that after the show tonight, I can come home an stay with them. I
am very disappointed that she has got hersef a boyfrien, but I don’t have
noplace else to go, so that’s what I done.
Rudolph is the boyfrien’s name. He is a little guy bout a hundrit
pounds or so, an has hair like a dustmop an wears a lot of beads aroun
his neck an is settin on the floor when we get to their apartment,
meditatin like a guru.
“Rudolph,” Jenny say, “this is Forrest. He is a friend of mine from
home, an he is gonna be stayin with us a wile.”
Rudolph don’t say nothin, but he wave his hand like the Pope when he
is blessin somethin.
Jenny ain’t got but one bed, but she made up a little pallet for me on
the floor an that is where I slept. It wadn’t no worse than a lot of places I
slept in the Army, an a damn sight better than some.
Next mornin I get up an there is Rudolph still settin in the middle of
the room meditatin. Jenny fixed me some breakfast an we lef ole
Rudolph settin there an she took me on a tour of Cambridge. First thing
she says is that I have got to get mysef some new clothes, on account of
people up here does not understan an will think I am tryin to put them
on. So we go to a surplus store an I get me some overalls an a lumber
jacket an change into them right there an take my uniform in a paper
bag.
We is walkin aroun Harvard University, an who does Jenny run into
but the married professor she used to date. She is still friends with him,
even tho in private she like to refer to him as a “degenerate turd.”
Doctor Quackenbush is his name.
Anyway, he is all excited on account of he is beginnin to teach a new
course next week that he thunk up all by hissef. It is called the “Role of
the Idiot in World Literature.”
I pipe up an say I think it sounds pretty interestin, an he say, “Well,
Forrest, why don’t you sit in on the class? You might enjoy it.”
Jenny look at both of us kind of funny-like, but she don’t say nothin.
We gone on back to the apartment an Rudolph is still squattin on the
floor by hissef. We was in the kitchen an I axed her real quiet if Rudolph
could talk, an she say, yes, sooner or later.
That afternoon Jenny took me to meet the other guys in the band an
she tell them I play the harmonica like heaven itsef, an why don’t they
let me set in with them at the club tonight. One of the guys axe me what
I like to play best, an I say, “Dixie,” an he say he don’t believe he has
heard what I say, an Jenny jump in an say, “It don’t matter, he will be
fine once he’s got a ear for our stuff.”
So that night I be playin with the band an everbody agree I am makin
a good contribution an it is very enjoyable, gettin to set there an watch
Jenny sing an thow hersef all over the stage.
That nex Monday I have decided to go ahead an set in on Doctor
Quackenbush’s class, “Role of the Idiot in World Literature.” The title
alone is enough to make me feel sort of important.
“Today,” Doctor Quackenbush says to the class, “we has a visitor who
is gonna be auditing this course from time to time. Please welcome
Mister Forrest Gump.” Everbody turn an look at me an I give a little
wave, an then the class begin.
“The idiot,” Doctor Quackenbush say, “has played an important role in
history an literature for many years. I suppose you has all heard of the
village idiot, who was usually some retarded individual livin in a village
someplace. He was often the object of scorn an mockery. Later, it
become the custom of nobility to have in their presence a court jester, a
sort of person that would do things to amuse the royalty. In many
instances, this individual was actually an idiot or a moron, in others, he
was merely a clown or jokester.…”
He go on like this for a wile, an it begun to become apparent to me
that idiots was not jus useless people, but was put here for a purpose,
sort of like Dan had said, an the purpose is to make people laugh. At
least that is somethin.
“The object of having a fool for most writers,” Doctor Quackenbush
say, “is to employ the device of
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