worthwhile to continue the conversation with Tubby
Turnbull.
Renie apparently thought not. She put a hand on
Tubby’s elbow and steered him toward the door. “Thanks
for coming by, Mr. Turnbull. You’ve given us a real . . .
thrill. Good luck when spring training rolls around.”
“What?” Tubby looked startled. “Oh—spring training. Yes, it’s coming. At the end of winter, right? Bye
now.” He trundled off into the hallway, where he
stopped, apparently undecided about which way to go.
“You didn’t ask him to meet the dinner wagon,” Judith remarked. “How come?”
“Because Tubby couldn’t handle it,” Renie said.
“It’ll take him half an hour to find the exit, and then
he’ll have to figure out if he’s going in or going out.
SUTURE SELF
125
I’ve got a better idea. Hey,” Renie called from the
doorway, “Maya?”
Judith heard a far-off voice tell Renie that Maya
wasn’t on duty. Renie leaned back into the room. “No
Maya tonight. But I’m not without resources. Are you
in there, Mr. Mummy?”
With great effort, Judith scooted farther down in the
bed. She was just able to make out Mr. Mummy, who
apparently had come out of his room and crossed the
hall to Renie.
“How,” Renie murmured, “do you feel about fried
chicken, Mr. Mummy?”
Mr. Mummy’s feelings about fried chicken, especially Bubba’s, were extremely positive. He was in a
walking cast, and could get down to the main entrance
with no trouble.
“Can I fit the Bubba’s box into my plastic carryall?”
he inquired, his cheeks pink with excitement.
“Yes, you can,” Renie said, handing over the check
she’d already written. “Just be sure no one sees you
make the transfer.”
Mr. Mummy beamed at Renie. “It’s like a spy story,
isn’t it? You know, where one man sits on the park
bench and the other one comes along with a folded
newspaper and he leaves it on the seat and the first
man—”
“My, yes,” Renie interrupted. “You’d better go, Mr.
Mummy. The delivery may be arriving any minute.”
Judith saw Mr. Mummy scoot off down the hall, the
leg in the walking cast at an angle, and his sacklike
hospital gown waving behind him like a rag tied to a
large load on a pickup truck.
“He’s sweet,” Judith said as Renie headed back to
bed. “I’ll bet he has a crush on you.”
126
Mary Daheim
