'Nice place you've got here.'
I told you I was fabulous at conversation.
More nodding.
I was making all the impact of a spot on the rug. Luckily he didn't
seem to care. I had the feeling that as far as he was concerned, I
We heard footsteps on the stairs. He glanced up at me sharply and for
once his eyes seemed to focus. Ah, a human being standing there.
'Take care of my daughter, Mr. Thomas.' 'Yes, sir.'
The footsteps descended. I saw him staring away from me again, and
this time I followed the sight lines across the room to a small table
cluttered with vase, flowers, ashtray, and a pair of gilt-frame
photographs. One was a few-years-old photo of Casey. A high school
graduation photo, probably. The other was a studio portrait of a young
brown-eyed boy, maybe six or seven years old, smiling in that shy funny
way kids have of smiling without showing you their teeth.
Casey had never mentioned a brother.
I looked at Mr. White. He was staring intently at the photographs.
The high, pale forehead was studded with creases. The flesh gleamed.
I wondered if it was Casey he was staring at or the boy.
'Ready?'
She swung down the stairs and the T-shirt looked painted on. By a very
steady hand. She stood there slightly out of breath, smiling, smelling
very clean and freshly showered.
She moved to her father and pecked him on the cheek. 'Bye, Daddy.'
He managed to raise a weak smile. I could not see much in the way of
affection between them. 'You'll be late?'
'Don't know. Maybe. Say goodnight to mother for me.'
'Yes.'
He stood up absentmindedly but with some effort. It was learned
behavior but its hold on him was stronger than the discomfort it caused
him. Or that's how it looked to me. When a lady leaves the room, you
stand. Even if it's your daughter. It was years of habit talking. But
it wasn't making life any easier for him.
Like everything else I'd seen him do, its net effect was zero. Except
to make you wonder where all that lethargy came from. Here was a man,
I thought, inhabiting a great big void.
'Good night... young man,' he said.
He'd forgotten my name.
'Good night, sir.'
We walked outside into the warm summer night. I was glad to be out of
there.
She looked at the pickup across the street.
'You really want to take that thing?'
'I don't care.'
'Let's take the Chevy, then. Kim and Steve would never forgive me.'
She turned and headed for the driveway. I grabbed her arm.
'Suppose we make a deal?'
'What's that?'
'We take the Chevy. But tonight we skip Kim and Steve.'
She laughed. 'They're expecting us.'
'Call in sick. Say you've got your period.'
'I can't do that.' Sure you can.
'Suppose they see us driving around town or something?'
I shrugged. 'You got better again.'
We climbed into the car. I watched her mull it over for a minute. She
was smiling and I had the feeling I was winning this one. She started
up the car. I leaned over and took her chin in my hand, turned her
toward me and kissed her. At first I kissed smiling lips and teeth.
Then there was heat and a brittle hunger.
HShe pulled away.
'You convinced me.'
We drove to the phone booth in front of Harmon's. She got out, and I
watched her under neon light. Dialing the number, talking. I guess
she got a little argument. Then she turned toward me and made a circle
with her thumb and forefinger. A moment later she smiled and hung up.
She climbed back into the car and slammed the door.
'I have my period. Kim will tell Steven. He's not going to like it
much. But.'
'But.'
I kissed her.
'What is it with Steven, anyway?'
'You mean with Steven and me.'
I nodded. She laughed at me.
'We were kids together. Next-door neighbors. When we were real
little, we even talked about getting married some day. You know how
kids do. Then we grew up. At least some of us did.'
'He's going to Harvard.'
'There are plenty of kids at Harvard, dear.'
'So where does Kim come into it?'
'Oh, some seven or eight years later. I met her in junior high. I
introduced them. His parents and mine and Kim's all became friends
eventually anyway, so they'd have met sooner or later. All the same, I
take complete credit for putting that together. And I'll tell you,
back in high school it was a very heavy thing. They were both sort
of... precocious, I guess you'd say. Kim developed quite a reputation.
Deservedly, of course.'
'And they've been together all this time?'
'We have. We've stayed together. Sometimes I feel like we're linked
at the hip, the three of us. We've had some rough spots, but they
pass. If you want me, you take Kim. And if you want Kim, you take me.
Steve wants both of us, so it's easy. It's a weird relationship. We've
never been lovers, never will be. But he's still sort of possessive of
me, you know? And without me, I'm not sure he and Kim would still be
together. Like I say, I think he wants us both both together. And he
can only get me through Kim.
