@@@@@"Can I take a look?" "Actually, I'd rather
@@@@@"Can I take a look?"
"Actually, I'd rather you didn't
I thought he might protest, but he just nodded and
went back downstairs, almost trottingThere was a
new spring in his step - that was surely not my
imaginationAt the door he said, "Call Nannuzzi
in the morningDon't let the grass grow under
your heelsAnd you call me if anything changes
with your I gestured at his face with my
paint-stippled hand"You'll be the first to knowFor the
time being, I can settle for being headache-free"Are you sure it won't come back?"
"I'm sure of nothingYeah, that's the human condition, ain't it?
But I thank you for trying And before I knew he
was going to do it, he had taken my hand and
kissed the back of itA gentle kiss in spite of
the bristles on his upper lipThen he told me
adiós and was gone into the dark and the only
sound was the sigh of the Gulf and the whispering
conversation of the shells under the houseThen
there was another soundThe phone was ringing
x
It was Ilse, calling to chatYes, her classes
were going fine, yes, she felt well - great, in
fact - yes, she was calling her mother once a week
and staying in touch with Lin by e-mailIn Ilse's
opinion, Lin's strep was probably so much selfdiagnosed
bullcrapI told her I was stunned by
her generosity of feeling and she laughed
483
I told her there was a possibility that I might be
showing my work at a gallery in Sarasota, and she
shrieked so loudly I had to hold the phone away
from my ear
"Daddy, that's wonderful! When? Can I come?"
"Sure, if you want to," I said"I'm going to
invite everybody This was a decision I hadn't
entirely made until I heard myself telling her
"We're thinking mid-April