2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

chapter 2. of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, performed by Anna Butterworth

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Two. Good morning, mister Buttonsaid nervously to the clerk in the Chesapeake
Dry Goods Company. I want tobuy some clothes for my child. How
old is your child, sir?About six hours, answered mister Button,
without due consideration, baby's supply departmentin the rear. Why I don't think

(00:27):
I'm not sure that's what I want. It's he's an unusually large sized child,
exceptionally ah large. They have thelargest child sizes. Where is the
boy's department, inquired mister Button,shifting his ground desperately. He felt that
the clerk must surely scent his shamefulsecret right here. Well, he hesitated.

(00:54):
The notion of dressing his son inmen's clothes was repugnant to him.
If, say, he could onlyfind a very large boy suit, he
might cut off that long and awfulbeard, dye the white hair brown,
and thus managed to conceal the worstand to retain something of his own self
respect, not to mention his positionin Baltimore society. But a frantic inspection

(01:18):
of the boy's department revealed no suitsto fit the newborn Button. He blamed
the store. Of course, insuch cases, it is the thing to
blame the store. How old didyou say that, boy of yours,
was demanded the clerk curiously. He'ssixteen. Oh, I beg your pardon.
I thought you said six hours.You'll find the US apartment in the

(01:41):
next dial. Mister Button turned miserablyaway. Then he stopped, brightened,
and pointed his finger toward a dresseddummy in the window display. There.
He exclaimed, I'll take that suitout there on the dummy. The clerk
stared why, he protested, that'snot a child suit at least it is,

(02:05):
but it's for a fancy dress.You could wear it yourself. Wrap
it up, insisted his customer nervously, that's what I want. The astonished
clerk obeyed. Back at the hospital, mister Button entered the nursery and almost
threw the package at his son.Here's your clothes, he snapped out.

(02:25):
The old man untied the package andviewed the contents with a quizzical eye.
They look sort of funny to me, he complained. I don't want to
be made a monkey of You've madea monkey of me, retorted mister Button
fiercely. Never mind how funny youlook. Put them on or I'll or

(02:46):
I'll spank you. He swallowed uneasilyat the penultimate word, feeling nevertheless that
it was the proper thing to say. All right, father, this was
a grotesque simulation of felial respect.You've lived longer, you know best,
just as you say. As before, the sound of the word father caused

(03:10):
mister Button to start violently and hurry, I'm hurrying father. When his son
was dressed, mister Button regarded himwith depression. The costume consisted of dotted
socks, pink pants, and abelted blouse with a wide white collar.
Over the latter waved the long,whitish beard, drooping almost to the waist.

(03:34):
The effect was not good. Wait, mister Button seized a hospital shears
and, with three quick snaps,amputated a large section of the beard.
But even with this improvement, theensemble fell far short of perfection. The
remaining brush of scraggly hair, thewatery eyes, the ancient teeth seemed oddly

(03:55):
out of tone with the gayety ofthe costume. Mister Button, how however,
was obdurate. He held out hishand, Come along, he said,
sternly. His son took the handtrustingly. What are you going to
call me? Dad? He quaveredas they walked from the nursery. Just

(04:15):
baby for a while, till youthink of a better name, mister button
grunted. I don't know, heanswered harshly. I think we'll call you Methuselah.