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Maturity and Innocence
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“A Day’s Wait” Quotes
But when I came downstairs he was dressed, sitting by the fire, looking a very sick and miserable boy of nine years. When I put my hand on his forehead I knew he had a fever.
“You go up to bed,” I said, “You’re sick.”
“I’m all right,” he said.
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The father has already told his son twice that he should just stay in bed if he isn’t well, but the boy stubbornly proceeds to get dressed and go downstairs, only making himself feel worse. By recognizing the boy’s pain and urging him to rest rather than disregard his symptoms, the father shows himself to be an attentive, loving father who cares for his son’s wellbeing. The boy’s reluctance to acknowledge his obvious sickliness—refusing to return to bed and insisting “I’m all right” even though he’s clearly not—is somewhat puzzling, given his father’s sympathetic attitude that suggests getting sick is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Expli
After a while he said to me, “You don’t have to stay in here with me, Papa, if it bothers you.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“No, I mean you don’t have to stay if it’s going to bother you.”
I thought perhaps he was a little lightheaded and after giving him the prescribed capsules at eleven o’clock I went out for a while.
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After the doctor visits and tells the father that the boy is indeed sick with the flu, the father stays by his son’s bedside to administer his hourly medicine as well as cheer him with stories. The father indicates no impatience or desire to be elsewhere, which makes the boy’s insistence on releasing him from his post surprising. The father’s presence doesn’t seem to “bother” his son, either, so it’s not clear why the boy would urge him to go. As the story progresses, however, it’s clear that the boy is attempting to shield his father—and the rest of his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perf
At the house they said the boy had refused to let any one come into the room.
“You can’t come in,” he said. “You mustn’t get what I have.”
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In this passage, the father arrives back at the house after hunting to hear that his son has prevented everyone in the family from entering his room. The boy’s self-imposed quarantine seems somewhat extreme for his minor condition, especially at his young age when he should be used to people caring for him when he’s sick rather than bearing the illness alone. His supposedly melodramatic behavior foreshadows the climactic revelation that he believes his 102-degree fever is fatal. Once again, the boy attempts to appear brave in the face of death and protect his family from such a heavy emotional Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim
“Your temperature is all right,” I said. “It’s nothing to worry about.”
“I don’t worry,” he said, “but I can’t keep from thinking.”
“Don’t think,” I said. “Just take it easy.”
“I’m taking it easy,” he said and looked straight ahead. He was evidently holding tight onto himself about something.
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Without a clue of what the boy actually believes about his fever, the father nonetheless reassures his son that his temperature is nothing serious. In this passage, the boy declares paradoxically that he doesn’t “worry,” but he can’t stop “thinking.” Unwilling to appear cowardly in front of his father, the boy won’t admit to feeling fear or dread, only that the temperature is on his mind. Being told “don’t think” makes for fairly poor advice, and it’s clear that the father doesn’t understand the gravity of the boy’s worries. He advises his son to relax, and the boy says he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusa
I sat down and opened the Pirate book and commenced to read, but I could see he was not following, so I stopped.
“About what time do you think I’m going to die?” he asked.
“What?”
“About how long will it be before I die?”
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In this passage, the father continues reading aloud to his son from a book of stories about infamous pirates. While the boy is preoccupied with his inner turmoil and not actively listening to the stories at the moment, the book’s appearance in these scenes suggests that the tales of heroism and stereotypical masculinity are, in fact, associated with his present behavior. When the boy unexpectedly asks his father when he’s going to die, readers realize that the book likely played a role in the boy’s stoicism; it seems that he wants to confront death bravely and heroically, just like the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedit
“People don’t die with a fever of one hundred and two. That’s a silly way to talk.”
“I know they do. At school in France the boys told me you can’t live with forty-four degrees. I’ve got a hundred and two.”
He had been waiting to die all day, ever since nine o’clock in the morning.
“Poor old Schatz. It’s like miles and kilometers. You aren’t going to die. That’s a different thermometer. On that thermometer thirty-seven is normal. On this kind it’s ninety-eight.”
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When the boy finally discloses the reason he thinks he’s dying, his father realizes just how firmly the boy believed in his certain fate, rather than simply doubting his father’s word that nothing could possibly happen. The boy wasn’t just worried that he might die, wisely understanding that his father is imperfect and couldn’t guarantee a sure recovery, but he was fatalistically resigned to his inevitable death. Facts based on scientific measurements and fixed outcomes create absolute certainty, and it’s indeed true that a fever over forty-four degrees Celsius would always be fatal. However, this episode illustrates the importance of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asper
His gaze at the foot of the bed relaxed slowly. The hold over himself relaxed too, finally, and the next day it was very slack and he cried very easily at little things that were of no importance.
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In the final lines of the story, the father observes how his son becomes less tense after realizing that he isn’t actually going to die. Relaxing emotionally as well as physically, the boy unleashes his feelings freely. On the day of the fever, he sought to conduct himself at the height of stoic maturity; he now returns to a childish disinhibition, grappling openly with his wayward emotions. The previous day’s ordeal severely taxed his self-control, and he will perhaps need time to reestablish his prior composure. It is likely, however, that like a muscle that twinges the day after an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut o
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