The Great Gatsby: Chapter 9
After two years, I remembered that day, and that night , full of polices and photographers and newspaper men in Gatsby’s door all day, it seemed a little tired for Gatsby. There was a large rope stretched all along the main gate, and there was a rude policeman to keep out the curious that wanted to enter and see something in there. But for some little boys it took not long to discover that they could enter through my yard, I usually found them about the pool with a very surprised face. One man with a serious look, a suit and a black hat, perhaps a detective, I thought, used the expression “madman” as he saw Wilson’s body one rainy and dark afternoon, and next day the key for the newspaper reports was his voice.
Most of those reports that this kind of people public newspapers were usually untrue and grotesque. There was a very interesting testimony that Michaelis published that brought to light that Wilson suspected about his wife. Catherine looked very surprised about this, she didn’t say a word, she was like “lost” she didn’t know what to say when she looked at the coronel, also she lied saying that her sister was completely happy with her husband and that she had never met Gatsby. She was trying to convince herself because she felt that her suggestion was more than she could ensure. At that moment, Wilson changed completely, he became deranged.
This was not the most important thing at all. I was on Gatsby’s side, and alone. Everything that talked about him, involved me. At first this was something strange for me, but then when Gatsby lied in his house, and didn’t speak, didn’t even move, I started to felt guilty because nobody else cared about him really. So, half an hour later we found him, I called Daisy, but strangely she had left with Tom away early in the afternoon. They didn’t leave any address, no telephone numbers, nothing, they practically disappeared. I wanted to get someone for him, I couldn’t find anyone, and he never told me definitively if his parents were dead. So I went to this desk but I found NOTHING.
The following day, I sent the butler to new York to give a letter to a man, called Wolfshiem, who had early asked for information. Later, I had received Wolfshiem’s answer. The letter said that he was so surprised about all this that happened but that he was in a very important business, and that he couldn’t get involved in this now, but that he wanted to know when and where the funeral was going to take place. After this, I received a call from Chicago, he didn’t even let me talk, he started to talk really fast, when he finished I told him that Gatsby was dead, instantly the connection was broken.
At the third day that I received that strange call, I received a telegram from Henry C. Gatz, Gatsby’s father, saying that he was coming immediately, so the funeral was postponed. When I saw him, he seems to be so lonely. He also looked very excited that it was difficult for me to take out his coat, so I invited him to the music room and he took a sit. He looked really nervous, he told me that he had heard the news about Gatsby on the Chicago newspaper and that he didn’t know how to reach me.
I took him to the room were Gatsby died, when he entered in, he opened the door and came out, he started to look through the beautiful view that he had around him, he started to talk about his feelings, he told me that he was very surprised about all the power that Gatsby had compared to a long time before, but that he also thought that Gatsby was mad, it intrigued me so much the reason, but he didn’t say it and I didn’t have so much confidence to ask him. A bit later I took him to the bedroom upstairs and while he changed his clothes we talked about the funeral, he told me what Gatsby preferred most and that he had helped to build part of the country and also I told him that we were really close friends.
While Mr. Gatz was sleeping I started to think about all the good moments that we went through with Gatsby, it was really amazing how at first we really didn’t know each other and then we finished like being best friends. I thought about what a good person he was for me, and that I couldn’t believe how many people critized him, he had a lot of enemies I think, and I was always thinking about what would had happened to him if sometimes someone entered and tried to kill him, it was frustrating thinking of that, but well, now he is not here any more and he can’t come back.
The night of the next day, a man called Klipspringer called. I was so excited, because i thought that he maybe knew about what had happend and wanted to know when the funeral was going to be and al about it, so I started to tell him about the funeral and all of what we were organizing with Mr. Gatz, but finally he told me that he couldn’t come and that he only called because he had left a pair of shoes in one of Gatsby’s parties, I was really disappointed, I was so furious that after what he said I didn’t listen to him, and I hanged up.
That night I thought about that many people was using Gatsby really, because they only cared about his parties, not even a little they mattered about him.
The next morning, I was really sad, it was the day of the funeral, I was hoping that lots of people of his parties went, but after last night I really didn’t have much hope. That morning I went to New York to talk to Meyer Wolfshiem, I had to tell him so many things that I really thought that I wouldn’t have time, when I was in way to Wolfshiem office I crossed with a woman that I recognised from one of Gatsby’s party, and I stopped her and told her about the funeral but she was really sincere, like any other, she told me that she really didn’t care about what happened in Gatsby’s life and that she only went to his parties to meet new people. I was so angry, I wanted to shout all I felt in that moment, until a woman opened the door telling me that Wolfshiem wasn’t there and that he had gone to Chicago. But I knew it wasn’t true so I insisted until she stood in front of me and I started to remember when I first met her. We talked a very long time, but she also told me that she would like to go to the funeral but that she couldn’t. We also talked about things that she knew or that she had lived with Gatsby.
I went back home, me and Gatsby’s father went to the funeral, it was all very silent, nobody appeared so I insisted to wait a little more, but I had no way, nobody was going to come, but in a moment I heard a car, it was the man with owl-eyed glasses. I started to thought in detail about the best moments that we go through.
Before going, I wanted to leave everything just right. I saw and talked to Jordan. But apart from being in love with her, I turned around and go away. Then one afternoon I saw Tom, he was really crazy, I didn’t know what was going on, I asked him what happened before Wilson killed Gatsby, he told me that he had to lie to him because he was going to kill him if he didn’t-
When I left, Gatsby’s and also my house were very neglected, but I didn’t care, when I saw the two houses I couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that I went inside there...
Gatsby.
Daisy. Nick.