CHRISTINE SCH UTT<br >What Have You Been Doing?<br >What Are You Doing Now ?<br > She was out of practice， and he wanted practice， so<br >they started kissing one another， and they called it practicing，<br >this kissing that occurred to hitn. She obliged in the middle of<br >rooms， her bedroom， his bedroom， a kissing done standing，<br >her hands on his shoulders， his not quite on her waist， heads<br >tilted， mouths open. Like this? the boy asked， and the mother<br >said， Yes， but kept her tongue to herself， and only laughed<br >sometimes at the suddenness of his--his tongue that in its<br >darting seemed not his. The way he drew back to laugh and<br >to ask， Isn t that right? made her think he didn t like that part，<br >not quite， not the way she liked that part and how it was he<br >tasted--anytime he tasted of a warm sweet water， and of a<br >breath so clean she wondered how she must have tasted， so<br >that she shut her mouth to him and steered him by the shoul-<br >ders to his desk or to his bed and said， Okay， you know now.<br >She said， someday you will make a girl happy， and her saying<br >so made the boy smile， for this was something the boy wanted<br >m do--he was in training， she knew， in readiness for making<br >a girl happy.<br > tte said， I am going to have a maid when I grow up. They<br >were in the kitchen then， the boy and the mother， rinsing<br >dishes. I，ucky you， she said， and they went on rinsing dishes.<br > I am going to have three houses， the boy said. This was<br >later， another time. I don t know where， the boy said， but the<br >[)laces will be important. The mother was approving and asked<br >what she always asked， May I visit? lfdad is not there， the boy<br >answered， and later， another time--for these ideas， she found，<br >came to him as suddenly as kissing--he said， I will have houses<br >tbr you next to all of" my houses.<br > Sometimes the boy thought of dancing. He put on his<br >music and called out to the mother， Come dance， and she went<br >