By this time George had started to dust sand off his clothes. “It don’t matter, jus’ make sure ya’ don’t do it again”. He looked up towards Lennie doubtfully, “You remember wha’ I told you to do?” Lennie’s face scrunched up in concentration; he had to think very hard. “I…I…” “Oh, so ya’ forgot did ya’?” quipped George. Lennie’s head fell in shame, “I tried not to forget George. Honest to God I did”. George sighed.
“Fine, I’ll tell ya’ again. Might as well, spend all my time tellin’ you things ya’ forget. Awright, ya’ gonna listen an’ ya’ gonna try like hell to remember”. Lennie nodded, agreeing to what George just said, awaiting instructions. “You gonna stay right here, an’ you ain’t to talk to anybody. You ain’t gonna say a word, Awright?” “An’ if I do that, I get to tend the rabbits don’t I George?” A childish grin spread across Lennie’s face in delight and George couldn’t help but smile back. “Sure Lennie, you get to tend the rabbits” George glanced around the road, as though he was expecting someone, then he turned back to Lennie “So, do you remember what ya’ got to do?” he asked. Lennie’s face scrunched up in concentration once again, “I…I…I ain’t gonna say a word” Lennie replied, “I’m…I’m gonna stay here” he said a little later. “George, I can remember!”
George looked up at Lennie fondly. “Well done, you’re getting’ better” he spoke with no hint of cruelty. “Remember to stay here. I’ll be back soon, awright?” Lennie stared at George with a puzzled expression, and asked “Where you goin’ George? Can I come?” “God damn it Lennie, you crazy son-of-a-bitch!” George shouted. “How many times do I have to tell ya’? Jus’ stay here” “Ok George” Lennie spoke softly, as George turned away. He watched him longingly, until George was nothing more than a figure walking down the road, disappearing in the fading light.
Lennie stood in the desolate road; like a child would if they had lost their parents, constantly looking around. The only other life around was a small mouse that quickly scurried down the road and past Lennie’s feet, where a while after it came to a brutal death, as a dirty cat jumped out of the undergrowth and pounced on its prey. It consumed it quickly, tearing its head off the limp body. The cat, pleased with its reward, strutted off leaving Lennie with a look of terror. “That’s a pity” a soft voice called out from behind Lennie, making him jump. He hadn’t heard any footsteps approaching him. “Poor little mouse” she spoke, causing Lennie to turn around and look at her. Her face creased up in disgust, and her hand covered her mouth as though she were appalled. She was tall, with long wavy blonde hair and she wore a vivid red velvet dress.
It took some time for Lennie to voice his words. “George said…I ain’t to speak to anybody. I ain’t to say anything. I gotta stay right here” Lennie pointed to the ground he was standing on in a childlike manner. The girl scowled. “Why ain’t ya’ allowed to talk to me? I ain’t gonna do you no harm by just talkin’ to ya’, am I?” She put her hands on her hips in an aloof way, waiting for a reply. Lennie was confused at how quickly the girl had turned sour. He looked around for George, expecting him to appear out of thin air and send the girl away, but he was nowhere in sight. He stared back at the girl and sighed. He explained slowly “George said…I…I…can’t tend the rabbits if I talk to anyone”
“Rabbits” she declared “What rabbits, I don’t see no rabbits” then she looked around in bewilderment. “You havin’ me on?” she asked dubiously. “There ain’t no rabbits round here”. Lennie smiled to himself and said “He said I can have lots of ‘em. Differ’nt colour ones. I can have red ones, and blue ones, and green ones! We gonna have a little place – an’ I get to tend the rabbits. He spoke quicker as he became more excited. “We gonna live off the fatta the lan’, we gonna have a big vegetable patch, an’ I gonna have a patch of alfalfa and that alfalfa is for the rabbits, an’ I take a sack and get it all fulla’ alfalfa and then I take it to the rabbits” he explained. She asked, “What makes you so nuts about rabbits?”
Lennie had to think carefully about what she had said before he could come to a conclusion, “I like to pet nice things” he said slowly. He took a deep breath and gazed up at the girl, his eyes glistening with excitement. “I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things. Sometimes I pet mice, but George don’t like it when I do tha’ – he always takes them offa’ me”. For a second Lennie looked wistful as he stared down at the road; where George had disappeared.
“Well who don’t like to pet sof’ things? I like to feel sof’ things sometimes. I like to feel velvet. Do you like to feel velvet?” She looked down at her dress and began to stroke it slowly and rhythmically. “You know,” she spoke as if she were sharing a secret with a child, “This dress is very sof’, sometimes when I’m wearing it, I just set an’ stroke it, cause it’s so sof”. Feel right aroun’ there and see how soft it is” she spoke encouragingly, still caressing her dress. Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her dress. “But you don’t muss it up” she warned, “It cost a fortune this did!”
Even though her words were stern, Lennie ignored her “Oh! That’s nice” he murmured while stroking the dress, rubbing it harder. “Stop it now, you’ll muss it up” the girl cried angrily. “Let go now!” She tried to pull the dress out of Lennie’s hands, but they were holding on so tightly it was impossible. “You let go!” The girl pulled on the dress once again but with no effect. Lennie was becoming panicked now. His face was contorting. His other hand closed over her mouth and nose. “Please don’t” he begged. “Oh! Please don’t do that. George’ll be mad. George gonna say I done a bad thing, an’ he ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits”. The girl wriggled ferociously in Lennie’s grip, while a muffled scream came from under his hand.
A little while before this occurred, George was on his way back to Lennie; feeling guilty about leaving him on his own just to shoot pool. While walking, George thought about how Weed was beautiful beyond description. He stopped in the middle of the road to look at the striking scenery around him, closing his eyes and feeling the cool breeze gently stroke his coarse skin. Before long, the serenity was destroyed. George had followed the road around the corner to hear muffled screams and to see Lennie holding down a girl, with his hand over her mouth. George was furious.