Science Fiction Short Story Review: "The Calm Man" by Frank Belknap Long

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Sally could hardly wait for the party. She just knows she’s going to meet the man of her dreams. Just this morning, the milkman looked at her admiringly. And Jimmy the paperboy whistled at her. So what if the milkman was nearly sixty and the paperboy was all of seventeen? A guy is a guy. And when she gets there, the place is crowded with dancing couple, the guys in midnight blue and the women in Nile green or lavender. Close your eyes, Sally, close them tight! Now open them! That’s it … Slowly, slowly… He came out of nothingness into the light and was right beside her suddenly. They dance for a bit, and right out of a romance novel, he tells her, “You’ll marry me, of course. We haven’t too much time. The years go by so swiftly, like great white birds at sea.” And a week later, they tie the knot. Ten months later, the union is blessed with issue. The red flags pop readily, but Sally, the wallflower, doesn’t see them until it’s too late. This is a sad story. Her husband, known as James Rand, is not a cruel man, but he devastates Sally just the same. The explanation of who he is and why is he’s doing what he does if completely satisfying makes sense. It would be, perhaps, stretching a point to say that it’s a warning to women to vet their would-be husband a bit before rushing to the altar, as young women were not generally not the audience for the stories in the 50s. And yet, I can’t help but see a portrayal 50s power structure here. This short story is available from Project Gutenberg and as an audiobook from Librivox. _____ Title: “The Calm Man” Author: Frank Belknap Long (1901-1994) First published: Fantastic Universe May 1954 Source: ISFDB