What's Better Than Money

‘I’ll write it,’ Creedy said. ‘I don’t care who delivers it so long as it gets delivered. On Sunday at three o’clock I’ve fixed it for you two to appear on television. I’l pick you up here and take you over to the studio.’

‘Television?’ I said and I felt a little stab of uneasiness. ‘What do we want to be on television for?’

Creedy smiled patiently at me.

‘We’re spending six mil ion dol ars of this city’s money,’ he said. ‘The public are entitled to see the two guys who are spending their money. There’s nothing to it. I’l ask the usual corny questions and you’l give me the usual corny answers. We’l have a scale model of the bridge prepared and you’l explain how you’re going to build it.’

I was now beginning to get even more uneasy. My past was beginning to come alive in my mind. I told myself not to panic. After all, the television hook-up covered the county: we were a long way from Los Angeles.

‘I’m trying to get Life to do an article about the bridge,’ Creedy went on. ‘They’re biting. It would be a fine thing for the city to get a coverage from Life.’

My uneasiness sparked into panic. Coverage in Life was world wide. I would have to make sure there would be no photograph of me in the magazine.

Jack said happily, ‘Sounds as if we have become a couple of famous people, Jeff. It’s about time.

We’ve worked hard enough.’

Creedy took out his notebook.

‘You’re famous al right. Let’s have some dope about yourselves. I want to prepare the TV interview.

Let’s get the basic facts: where you were born, who your parents were, what your training was, your war service, what you’ve done since the war, your future plans: that kind of junk.’

Jack gave him the information, and while I listened I began to sweat. I had to cover up on the time I had spent in Los Angeles.

When it came my turn, it was easy until I came to my return home from hospital.

Creedy said, ‘You began your studies again, and then you suddenly quit: is that right?’

‘Yes.’ I didn’t want to tel him any lies so I picked my way careful y. ‘I couldn’t set le to work. I left college after three months, and for a while I just kicked around.’

‘Is that so.’ He showed interest. ‘Where did you get to?’

‘Al over. I just loafed around and did nothing.’

He looked sharply at me.

‘How did you earn a living?’

‘I did a job here: a job there.’

Jack was now looking interested.

‘You never told me,’ he said. ‘I thought you had been in the engineering racket al the time.’

‘For a year or so I bummed around.’

‘This could make for colour,’ Creedy said. ‘Where did you get to? What kind of jobs did you do?’

This was now dangerous. I had to kill it.

‘I’d rather not go into that. Suppose we skip it if it’s al the same to you.’

Creedy stared at me, then shrugged.

‘Sure. What are you going to do with the money you’l make out of the bridge?’

I relaxed. That was an easy one.

‘Buy a house I guess. I might even build one.’

Creedy closed his notebook.

‘Wel , I guess that’ll hold it for the moment. Don’t forget the banquet on Saturday.’

When he had gone, we got down to work again. There was so much to do, I didn’t have time to think about this unexpected publicity until I was driving home.

Then I began to worry.

I now began to think of Rima not as someone in the dim past, but someone who could come into my present and my future.

Suppose she spotted my photograph in the newspapers and recognised me? What would she do? It depended on the state she was in. Maybe by now she had had a cure and was living a decent, normal life.

Maybe she was no longer alive. I told myself to quit worrying. She was in the past, and with any luck she would remain in the past.

Sarita had dinner waiting for me when I walked into our three-room apartment.

The sight of her waiting by a roaring fire, a shaker of dry Martinis on the table, and an atmosphere in the room that can only come from a woman who really cares for her man, quieted my uneasiness.

I held her close to me, my face against hers, and I was thankful she was mine.

‘You look tired, Jeff. How has it been going?’

‘Pret y hectic. There’s still an awful lot to do.’ I kissed her and then dropped into the lounging chair.

‘It’s good to be home. There’s to be a banquet on Saturday night in our honour, and Jack and I have to go on television on Sunday.’

She poured two cocktails.

‘Seems I have married a famous man.’

‘So it seems, but I know I have you to thank for it.’ I raised my glass to her. ‘You began the bridge.’

‘No — it was Chopin.’

After dinner we sat by the fire. I was in the armchair and Sarita on the floor, her head against my knee.

‘Pretty soon,’ I said, ‘we’re going to have some money to burn. Creedy asked me what I was going to do with it. I said maybe I’d build a house. Would that be an idea?’

‘We wouldn’t have to build it, Jeff. I’ve seen a place that is exactly what we want.’

‘You’ve seen it? Where?’

‘It’s that lit le cot age up on Simeon’s Hil . It’s owned by Mr. Terrel . Last year he and his wife invited me out there for dinner. Oh, Jeff! It has everything, and it’s not too big.’

‘What makes you think it’s in the market?’

‘I met Mr. Terrell yesterday. He is taking his wife to live in Miami. She needs the sun. Of course it is for you to decide, but you must see it. I’m sure you’l love it.’

‘If it’s good enough for you, it’s good enough for me. You don’t know what he wants for it?’

‘I’ll cal him tomorrow and ask him.’

I wasn’t the only one of the firm who was planning to spend some money.

When I got into the office the next morning, Jack told me he had ordered a Thunderbird.

‘Boy! Am I going to cut a dash!’ he exclaimed. ‘What’s money for unless you spend it? And another thing: it’s time I had some new furniture. Could you persuade Sarita to do something about it? I haven’t time to look after that myself.’

‘Have dinner with us tonight and persuade her yourself. There’s talk about us buying Terrell’s cot age on Simeon’s Hil . Sarita is making inquiries this morning.’

He grinned at me.

‘We’ve arrived, pal! I’m get ing a big bang out of this.’ He gathered up a heap of papers and crammed them into his brief case. ‘I’ve got to get off. See you tonight.’

I spent the morning interviewing contractors and working out costs. While I was eating a sandwich lunch, Creedy blew in with a couple of guys, one of them carrying a Rolleiflex camera and a flash equipment. The sight of the camera brought back my uneasiness.

‘These boys are from Life,’ Creedy said. ‘I’ve given them most of the dope. They just want some photographs of you working at your desk. Osborne around?’

I said Jack was on the site.

As I was speaking the camera man let off his flash.

‘Look, I don’t want my photograph in your paper,’ I said. ‘I…’

‘He’s shy,’ Creedy said, laughing. ‘Of course he does! Who wouldn’t want his photograph in Life!’

The camera man went on popping off his flashlight. I realised there was nothing I could do about it. I did put my hand up to my face to cover my scar, but the other fellow then showed interest in it.