much she missed him. She said that when I’d come over to fix her TV set that night, it was all she could do not to ask me straight out.
“It would’ve saved some time,” I said.
She laughed. She wasn’t half bad, but she scared me a little because she was a wise one. You could see her thinking behind the eyes. Finally she said, “Shirl couldn’t give you that—the way we just had. She’s too young—she hasn’t been around enough.”
I didn’t say anything. It was then I first thought, What if Shirley ever found out? What if Mayda goes and tells her? It would be just like her.
Only I couldn’t say a word. I couldn’t tell her to keep her mouth shut.
I checked my watch.
“Cripes,” I said. “I’ve got to get back to the store, right away. I’m late and there’s a big deal cooking. I can’t afford to miss out.”
“Damn,” she said. “I thought we could make a night of it.”
I told her I was sorry, that I’d like it, too.
“Maybe some other time?” she said.
“We’ll try and work something out.”
She looked at me and didn’t say anything. She got dressed. I couldn’t think of anything but Shirley Angela and Victor. Shirley had said Victor felt great. Maybe he was doing calisthenics in his bedroom, waiting to run off to the hospital. And now Mayda. Why had her husband gone off to Alaska at a time like this? Maybe to recuperate.
We didn’t talk much on the way back through town. She finally readied the alley behind the shop, drove in, and parked. She obviously knew where the store was. I didn’t like that, either.
I got out. She twisted on the seat, and eyed me.
“Shirl’s not having all the fun, now,” she said.
“Okay. Quit riding me.”
“Is she any good?”
“I damned well wouldn’t know.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll stop. I believe you.” She smiled, then said. “Will we get together again?”
I grinned at her. “It’s possible,” I said.
“You know it,” she said.
I told her I had to get into the shop. I banged the car with my fist, and turned away.
“I’m not forgetting,” she called.
I waved back at her. She drove off. As soon as she was out of sight, I walked down the alley, hailed a cab, and had the driver take me downtown to where I’d parked my car.
Driving back to the store, I went through two red lights. I had to know what went with Victor. I couldn’t go out there. I didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t anything I could do but wait.
At twelve-thirty that night the phone rang.
“Jack? I had to call you.”
“Glad you did.” I’d just made up my mind I would have to go out there and rap on her window, or something. “How is it?”
Her voice sounded pooped. “It’s all right, I think. I kidded him about the way he’d been acting. It wasn’t easy, Jack. It was a little pitiful. He felt so great, and I had to tear him down. It worked, though. He told Miraglia he’d changed his mind. I thought he was going to have another attack.”
“He didn’t let on you’d changed his mind for him?”
“No. He’s too egotistical for that. But Miraglia was angry. He hardly spoke to me. I tried to tell him I’d done everything I could to keep Victor thinking the right way. He left in a snit.”
“Where you calling from?”
“The house. But it’s all right. He can’t hear me.”
“Are you all right, Shirley?”
“It’s just I want to see you so badly.”
“I know.”
“I hope you know. Jack—I love you so.”
“We can’t see each other now. We shouldn’t even be talking on the phone.”
“Thank God he’s going to die. Maybe you don’t want to see me. Maybe it’s only the money. Maybe after we do it, you’ll only want the money.”
“Christ almighty,” I said.
“Well—?”
“Shirley please.”
“All right. Only you can’t begin to imagine.”
“Yes, I can. Take it easy and hang on.”
“All right, Jack.”
“We’d better cut this off.”
“Jack?”
She had something else on her mind.
She said. “How did you make out with Mayda?”
My heart struck hard twice in my chest. “Make out?”
“When she drove you back to the store, I mean.”
I tried to tell myself there was nothing strange about her tone of voice. “She just drove me back, is all—then I went down and got my car.”
“You didn’t go anywhere with her, did you?”
“Hell, no—of course not. Why should I?”
“Don’t be stupid, Jack.”
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.
She got louder. “Jack—tell me.”
“She just drove me back to the store. She’s not suspicious, or anything.”
“I don’t mean that.”
All I could think was, Could Mayda have said something?
Shirley said, “I saw Mayda early this evening. She acted kind of strange. She kept talking about you, all the time. Jack—if you ever—!”
“Take it easy. You know better than that.”
I could hear her breathing. It wouldn’t take much and she would blow up.
“Shirley?” I said.
“Yes.”
“I love you, Shirley. Will you remember that?”
“All right.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’ll be all right.”
“Just get that stuff out of your head, Shirley.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” I said. “Ever. Okay?”
“Yes. I won’t think about it.” She didn’t speak for a time. I could hear her breathing. Then her voice came across the line, touched with desperation, a kind of dry whisper. “I’m going to work on him, Jack,” she said. “I’m going to work on him right now. I can’t stand it any longer.”
By the time the next afternoon crept across the face of the clock, I was in pretty bad shape. I needed a drink. I was afraid to start hitting the bottle. It would be too easy to lose count and go all the way. I chainsmoked cigarettes. I wandered around the store in a fog, trying to keep out of things because I knew I might foul up somewhere. Luckily, I had the place set up so I could come and go freely, acting as a general overseer. Louis Sneed and Pete Stallsworth were good repair men, or I would have been in a fix. I had a middle-aged blonde, a Mrs. Noxton, on the front desk, handling the phone, doing file work, and so forth. All she ever thought about was getting
