“More…more what? Spit it out!”
“Just more…a lot of things.”
“Gary, huh. Listen, Russo, his shot of the movie theatre was the best thing about your article. He’s staying. Our photographer there has been our man for 45 years this June. He’s getting a plaque.”
“Exactly-45 years. Almost half a century. There’s no way we could get someone a little…”
“Tell Gary to shoot more palm trees though. You…you both could use more palm trees.”
Thompson hung up. He still did that. Jake held the phone in his hand for a few seconds then put it down. That’s how it was. He hadn’t even gotten to argue his case. But he hadn’t had time, had he? He stretched a little and looked around. The kitchen was in view. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t do this. But it had been a hell of a day. He walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet.
He took out the shot glass. “Queens NYC” it said. A memento. He opened the refrigerator. He’d sworn he wouldn’t do it. He was going to turn over a new leaf. He’d bought the bottle on a dark day a few weeks ago and kept it there. He’d never opened it and he knew he should throw it out. But he couldn’t. He went in the fridge, pushed aside the jugs of mineral water and the containers of Diet Vegetable Juice, and there it was. He felt his hand wrap around the label.
He set the bottle beside the shot glass. It was just a sip. And this small of an amount didn’t matter, right? It couldn’t matter. It was trivial. He ran his hand through his hair and combed it back again. He’d burned off all the calories during his run. It was fine. And since he’d bought the bottle, it would be wasteful not to use it. Sixteen ounces had 252 calories and 65.7 grams of sugar. 65.7. But when you poured cream soda, you could smell it and see it sparkle. He used to drink a bottle a day. He deserved a taste.
He started twisting the cap, the little white ridges lining up with his fingerprints. Right when he’d almost broken the seal, the phone rang. He screamed and put down the bottle. His heart was beating faster than when he’d been running. He put it back in the fridge-if he didn’t answer the phone now, Gary would keep calling back.
“Hi Gary.”
He tried to forget what had almost happened.
“Hello Jacob!” Gary usually shouted on the phone. “Jacob, I was talking to Meryl. I have an idea for a new story for you, one that will really knock socks off. People, they’ll be in the streets, running, their toes bare, yelling about this.”
Gary shouted something to his wife and Jake sat down and leaned back in his chair, waiting. Gary had a lingering accent from Eastern Europe. Jake didn’t know the country, but he assumed its name had changed a few times since Gary left. He wheezed into the phone.
“Wait. I think I pressed a button. Can you hear me on this thing?”
“I can hear you fine Gary.”
“Jacob-testing, testing. Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you Gary. Do you want to talk?”
“Jacob. I am going to test if you can hear me. This is a test.”
“What is it?”
Meryl yelled something on the other end, and Jake heard a beep.
“Jacob, I’m here. It’s me, Gary!”
“Great Gary. I can hear you.”
“Jacob?”
“Yes?”
“I think I forgot my idea.”
“That’s OK, Gary. I understand.”
“It was such a good idea!”
“I know. I know. I’m sure it was a great idea.”
“Well, that’s the way things will go. Do you need any photographs in the near future?”
“I should be fine.” The air conditioning had finally cooled him down. He put on an old sweatshirt he’d brought down with him. It hardly fit. “Thanks for calling, Gary. But I just have a little thing tomorrow with Mel. Then I’m talking to some lady and doing research at the library.”
“An interview with a lady? I’ll come out.”
“No, she’s nothing. Not a story-just a crazy woman. Don’t bother.”
“Where is it? Sunset Cove?”
“Well, yes. But really, we won’t run anything about her. It doesn’t have to do with the landscape piece. She just approached me randomly.”
“I’ll meet you at Sunset Cove. What time? Meryl, get me a writer.”
“Really, Gary, don’t bother. I’m going over around nine, but you don’t-”
“I’ve got a pen. 9 AM. Sunset Cove. Will we be needing my new special lens?”
“Gary, it’s not necessary.”
“No special lens?”
“No.”
“Anywhere particular in the Cove?”
“I’m serious.” He didn’t want to say it, but he needed to this time. “We won’t pay you for it.”
He waited for Gary to respond. He heard him breathing.
“No problem!” Gary shouted. “I’ll practice with my new lens. It’ll be perfect. And you wanted me to test it out. So 9AM, Sunset Cove. What’s the room?”
It wasn’t worth fighting.
“Fine. Room 112, Building B. I might be a few minutes later than nine though, so-”
“I’m there. And if I remember my idea, I’ll write it down this time.”
“Thanks Gary. All right. I should go.”
“Jacob?” He repeated it louder. “Jacob? Can you hear me?”
“I can hear you Gary.”
“Jacob. Can. You. Hear. Me.”
“Yes, I can hear you.”
“Jacob?”
“Yes?”
“Good night.”
Gary hung up and left Jake holding the phone, shaking his head. At least he hadn’t had the cream soda.
CHAPTER 3
Things started so early in Sarasota. He got up near sunrise and took care of some work. Cleaned up an article about the best “New York” diners in the Sarasota area. None of them were very good, especially when you were on a permanent diet. He went for another run since he didn’t know if he’d have time when he got back. It went longer than he thought-by the time he’d showered, had breakfast, and gotten dressed, he was running late. When he got to Sunset Cove, it was already almost nine.
Mel had dressed up for him. He could tell. When he showed up that morning, she had on a red dress. The waist high, again, with a white flower print on the dress, scattered. She looked good. Maybe too good. Her hair looked wavier and a little darker than it had before. He knew he needed to be confident, so he asked her if the pattern on her dress showed the rare flowers she’d forgotten. She liked it. Then she told him she hadn’t learned the name of the flowers yet.
“So that’s all you came by for?”
“I just had to check that fact.”
“Oh, OK.”
He wasn’t aggressive enough for this job.
“Is there anything else that I should know?”
“I don’t think so. I’m sorry that we can’t get the landscaping people to talk to you. But I don’t think your
