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never seen such a blessed-looking infant. Here. Let me show you. He hops over to a nearby shelf and
pulls out a cloth-bound photo album.
Oh no. Les, don t. Please? I protest.
But as usual, my father doesn t choose to hear me. He plops down on the arm of Jack s chair and opens
the book, holding it sideways for Jack. Rosie climbs onto the other chair arm and starts giggling and
clapping her hands. Oh, I just love these pictures! she exclaims.
See there? And there, Les says, pointing. Doesn t she look wise?
So in tune with the Universe, Rosie muses. And the most adorable dimpled butt!
I can see that, Jack says with an amused smile.
I let out a small groan and throw back my head, preferring the swirl patterns on the ceiling to the sight of
the three people gawking at my naked newborn posterior.
Wow. Where was that taken? Jack asks.
Mirror Lake, Alaska.
And there?
That was in Little Falls, Minnesota.
Wow, Jack says again. Maggie said you guys have moved around. You ve really seen a lot of the
country.
The world has so much to offer, Rosie says.
See those shots? Les goes on. They were taken when we lived in Harpers Ferry. And these were
from that Buddhist lodge outside Colorado Springs.
The campouts by the waterfall. The tepees in Sedona& Since it s one of our few material
possessions, I have the entire scrapbook memorized.
All of a sudden I jump to my feet, remembering what s on the next page: our shots from the nudist
colony in Palm Springs. Mind you, I was only ten years old at the time, but still. It s not the same as baby
butt shots.
Hey! Uh& don t you think we should be going? I nod, gesture, and basically lean my whole body
toward the stairwell. Traffic can get kind of slow around now. I have no idea about the traffic. It just
seems like an urgent thing to say.
Right, Jack says. The restaurant isn t far, but I don t know about their parking.
To my relief, Les closes the photo album and sets it back on the shelf while Rosie takes Jack s cup and
saucer.
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Thanks so much for the drink, Jack says as he stands and smooths out his pants. It was nice to meet
you.
I see him start to offer his hand, but Rosie throws her arms around him and kisses him on the cheek.
Then Les comes over and does his best Yogi bow. It s all I can do not to laugh at Jack s stunned
expression.
Come by whenever you like, Rosie says as she and Les walk him to the stairs.
Thanks, Jack says.
They stop at the doorway and Jack joins me on the top step.
You kids have a great time, Les says.
We will. And don t worry Jack looks right at Les I won t keep her out late.
Don t be silly. It s a beautiful night, Les remarks. You two should do some stargazing.
Jack doesn t seem to know what to say to this, so I gently tug on his sleeve. Let s go, I say.
Right.
Bye! Have fun! Les and Rosie call after us as we head down the stairs and out the door.
Jack pauses on the back stoop and shakes his head, staring into the distance. Your parents& , he
mumbles. They re&
Out of touch with reality?I finish mentally.Full of nutty goodness?
& nice, he says finally.
Yeah, I mutter as I walk toward his truck. That s one way of putting it.
Jack takes me to a semiswanky Japanese restaurant called Yin-Yang on the west side of town. The
decor is all black-and-white funky and everywhere you look there s a giant aquarium. We re seated by a
beautiful hostess in a kimono not too different from the one I wore to school. I wonder if that outfit made
him think I d like this place.
I hear the fish is excellent, he says in an authoritative voice, pressing the end of his tie against him as he
plops into his chair.
I m vegetarian, I declare loudly.
Just so you know, I am not one of those vegetarians who think anyone who eats meat should be made
into burgers. I just figure my saying so will make Jack feel uncomfortable. Which it does.
I m sorry! he exclaims, clapping his hand to his forehead. Do you want to go somewhere else?
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I shake my head. No. It s fine.
Man, I m sorry, he repeats. I should have asked. That was stupid of me.
Really. It s okay. They have nonmeat dishes here.
Then I won t order meat either.
Order whatever you want.
But if it will upset you
It s all right, I interrupt. I d wanted to stress him out, but now it s just getting annoying. Really. Don t
have a cow. I start laughing. Ordo have a cow. Or a chicken. Or pig.
He smiles. Mmmm. Sounds so appetizing when you put it that way.
Hey, it s your colon, I say with a shrug.
All right. He sighs. Bean curd it is.
I manage not to laugh, but my mouth still boings up into a smile.
We sit and stare at our menus and listen to the gurgly noise of the aquarium beside us. Jack keeps
yanking his shirt cuffs, and his Adam s apple bobbles with repeated swallows. Strange that he should be
so nervous and extra careful when all I want is to have a horrible time and go home.
A waitress in a bright red kimono walks up to take our order. I envy how easily she moves in her outfit.
I watch her to see if I can pick up any pointers, but all I can figure is that her body must have better
contours for it.
I order the vegetables teriyaki and a cup of shiitake mushroom soup, and Jack orders the assorted
vegetables in ponzu sauce and the miso soup.
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