Frolic of His Own (83 page)

—Oscar . . .

—Like I've been lied to all my life.

—Oscar can't you see? can't you see that Father was only protecting his own father? because he knew how you idolized your grandfather and how much your grandfather loved you that's what he tried to protect isn't it? for your own good my God, I mean the way Father came through for you didn't he? with that appeal writing the whole thing up and sending somebody up here to win your appeal for you, coming through for you standing behind you having faith in you like you realized that day saying you'd lost yours in him? Can't you see all that?

—No, he whispered, and he leaned down to pick up the letters that had fallen abruptly wrenching them all between his hands straightening up to cross the room slowly and throw them all together into the empty hearth. —No I never told you, that day we took him to the airport, when we took the law clerk to the airport sitting in the car and he found Grandfather's watch in a pocket he'd forgotten to give me and I said something like that to him, that Father's coming through with his love for me showing it that way without asking anything in return and he chuckled. He just chuckled as though it was all, as though it was all just a farce
no, no he said, the Judge never gave a damn for things like that, all that sentimentality or the movie you wrote he knew they were just using it to keep him off the circuit court he never blamed you, he may have thought you were a fool but he never thought you were venal and he didn't draw up that appeal for love of anybody, not you or anybody no. It was love of the law. When he got his hands on that decision he was mad as hell. He acted like the closest person in his life had been raped, like he'd come on the body of the law lying there torn up and violated by a crowd of barbarians, what was the matter with you? What in hell was wrong with your lawyers not following it up, letting a wide open trap that was laid for you slip by them for this new judge to fall into, he had me on the phone and then he grabbed it himself trying to run down this lawyer that handled your case there, he's no longer with the firm they told him same thing they told me, we have no record of his whereabouts and hung up. Want it done right you do it yourself that was him all right, your father, had me up for two nights digging out every citation that applied and a hundred more to be sure patching up that appeals brief with them like bandages wherever there was a scratch on this body he held dearer than his own life or yours or anyone else's, this love he had for the law and the language however he'd diddle them both sometimes because when you come down to it the law's only the language after all and, and I can still smell the whisky on him and the smoke and hear his rasping voice shut up in the car there together, and what better loves could a man have than those to get him through the night.

She cleared her throat at last, squaring her shoulders back straightening up and clearing her throat sharply as though the deep breath she took were his by some sort of contagion to straighten him up clearing his throat for the words to free them from a spell driven, finally, to break it weakly with her own, to say —Oscar, it's all history now. It's all just, history.

—I've been lied to all my life.

—Oscar? You know that place I went to first up on the highway where they have this urgent medical care in these empty storefronts? and that brought his eyes up warily —you know what I just thought of?

—I don't need urgent med . . .

—No I don't mean that, there's this new place right next to it like a pet store where they have birds and canaries and these different kind of fish for the home aquarium the sign says, you want to go up there and see?

He stared at her there for a moment, and then —I'm going to have a nap. I'm going into the library and have a nap.

—Have you eaten anything Oscar? or some soup? but he was past them, —Lily where are you going.

—I'm going up there anyway.

—Well get some milk and some butter while you're out will you? Lily? are you all right? Don't you want me to . . .

—No I'm okay. I just thought maybe this will get his mind off things, you know? and she caught up the coat plunging up the hall, out into the winds wild with rapine from a look at her out there blonde hair flying, skirts branches boughs flung high and wide with no more malice than purpose till they seemed to discover the house itself and join forces to summon sheets of rain descending with a vengeance blowing the pathetic fallacy to shreds for anyone cowered inside fighting to be delivered from things nothing could be done about in sleep or in doing something that something could be done about like the dishes in the kitchen sink and opening a can of soup over the moaning hinges of a loosened shutter and the clatter of a door banging somewhere, of heels down the bare hall and —It's me.

—My God. You're soaked.

—What do you expect? She held up a glassine envelope, —look.

—What is it, I don't see anything.

—It's these guppies, they're real tiny so that's why they're only fifteen cents apiece so I got ten of them.

—My God.

—Well I mean anyway it's a start, isn't it? and minutes later she was back dripping fistfuls of yellowed water sprite, sodden Ludwigia and despondent fronds of Spatterdock across the kitchen floor, couldn't she do all this somewhere else? get rid of it in the bathroom? as a bucket of algae tinted water came by, just flush it down the toilet? rerouting those that followed past the door of the library where he finally appeared standing there watching them pass as a diverting eye witness episode of flood relief wedged between those of a more intimate nature on the evening news until she set one down at his feet with —you want to help me, Oscar?

—And Lily? from the kitchen, —the milk? and the butter? But she'd forgot them on this consuming mission to get his mind off things and was there another pail someplace? as the bucket brigade came about with each fresh gallon bearing a new lease of life for the goggling eyed tenants where their gigantic new landlord grudgingly restored the basic services of light and aeration, pH balance, filtration and an agreeable temperature sprinkled with krill and daphnia floating down upon them like the manna in the wilderness till another trip up the highway brought in a cohort of discus gleaming turquoise and red and cobalt blue bearing down like the Egyptians before green seafans, shaving brush and a fresh canopy of water sprite beckoned the promised land right down ten centuries to a Crusaders'
castle lofting its plastic battlements among the brown flecked young leaves of the Amazon swordplant —so they can hide in there if they want, isn't it cute?

Cute or not, —God knows whether it's getting his mind off things I mean he wanders around the house as though he hasn't got one left, ask him a question and he simply mumbles. Something in the paper this morning I thought would amuse him about that revolting Senator Bilk's campaign seeking the support of the Gay Alliance when that story of his adventure with the transvestite came out? and that Iowa congressman who joined him trying to impeach Father resigning from the House over charges that he's actually illiterate, can't write anything but his name and reads at the second grade level while his loyal staff have carried him through seven straight terms before anyone noticed so he's setting himself up as a political consultant my God how Harry would have loved it, I mean it's almost Dickensian but Oscar simply muttered and asked if the mail had come yet, has it? All I've seen is a letter saying they're going to repossess his new car because he hasn't made the payments and I mean my God we don't need two exactly alike do we? I'd told him I left his in town when I drove Harry's out here and remind me to call the garage and tell them to send someone out with it, they can repossess it and drag that red eyesore that started the whole thing away while they're at it, things look shabby enough around here don't they?

—I think somebody's out there knocking at the door.

—Well let Oscar get it, where is he.

—I think he was in there watching a game show.

—If it's another COD air express delivery of live barracuda will you go and get rid of them? Instead she was back a minute later juggling the tall bulbous pink of a potted amaryllis —for us? Who in God's name would, give me the note on it will you? tearing it open —my God. I mean Bill Peyton? Talked to Harry's dentist and his bill clinches it, insurance people are paying up and I'll keep you informed, thanks a million Bill. Well thank God. I mean it's really quite hideous isn't it? snipping the thick leaves free —but they're quite expensive and of course that's Bill Peyton, send you the most barbarous looking plant in Christendom and it's not even that, I mean I think they're from Africa and that's hardly Christendom but it was probably that dense secretary of his who sends them out to their blue ribbon clients every day and of course, if you stop for a minute and think about it? as another snap of the scissors gave her the chance to do —it's the first civilized gesture I've ever had from him but he's really just putting a pretty face on it for fear of my lawsuit isn't he. I mean that dentist appointment of Harry's has them dead to rights and he couldn't do a damn thing about it even if he wanted to, now what was I talking about. I've
had something on my mind since I woke up that's been driving me crazy all day because I can't remember what it is.

—We need to shop for supper.

—Well that's certainly not what woke me up, you haven't run through that cash I put in the towel drawer have you?

—How could I? It's this bunch of hundred dollar bills and all I've used it for was some groceries and his fishes.

—I mean thank God I had my wits about me when those two vultures were going through every drawer in the place, that Masha picking through Harry's Turnbull and Asser shirts where he kept enough cash not to have to bother cashing checks every ten minutes if she got there before I did I'd simply have died. What do you think he wants for supper.

—Oscar? He doesn't care, I already asked him and he just says whatever you're having.

—Well he hardly eats at all so it doesn't really matter does it. Do you think he'd like fish?

—You ask him that and he'll just say he wants big ones.

—Like Al.

—Like, what?

—No I'm sorry Lily that was crude, I thought I was making a joke but . . .

—No I meant for his tank in there but I didn't tell you, when I just called up my girlfriend from long lines? and she told me Al found out that they caught this woman that stole my purse down at Palm Beach with all my cards and ID and everything so they're holding her for this adultery case he's's got against that shit Kevin. I hope she's black.

—What in God's name makes you say a thing like that!

—I shouldn't of said it, I was just thinking that would fix that shit Kevin because he doesn't like them. He's prejudiced.

—Well that's hardly a reason to, my God wait a minute. That was it, that was the dream that woke me up and I started to put together the whole wait, wait for me I've got to talk to Oscar before we go out.

—I'll put this stuff in the dryer while you're . . .

—Oscar? she burst up the hall —Oscar listen to me! breaking in on him sunk deep in the sofa there chewing on something —will you turn that thing off? I want to talk to you.

—I'm watching it he said, without raising his eyes from a tiger salamander making a meal of another tiger salamander it had just killed.

—I woke up this morning from a dream about Mister Basie, I can't even remember what it was but I woke up thinking about that law clerk telling you how angry Father got over the trap Mudpye laid for that judge and what fools your lawyers were not to catch it or even follow it up, you remember? she came on over the proposal that members of one's own
species might make the most nutritious meals, —how they were told your lawyer had disappeared and, are you listening? When the food supply runs out and the only ones around are your own species, why go hungry? —I mean can't you see what happened, Oscar? that it was really Basie who laid the trap? Sitting here with the clock running and he kept saying we'll take them on the appeal, that the Second Circuit likes reversing district judges to keep them on their toes didn't he say that? and that Harry said Judge Bone on the appeals court was a crusty old misogynist he'd seen him take a smart young woman lawyer right off at the knees once like this new woman judge just to teach her a lesson, don't you think Basie knew it too? Now a three-spine stickleback lurked guarding fertilized eggs while his mate cruised around the screen destroying nests and eating eggs lining up new opportunities to mate, —won't go into the legal niceties Basie said, we'll take them on the appeal don't you remember? He knew Mudpye was a quick study, Harry said he was too quick he'd have the answer before he got the question and Basie knew it. He knew Mudpye had done his homework and was vain and full of himself I mean by going and marrying Trish? and with that kind of money behind them he knew he could lose your case if he played it their way, can you see what I'm saying? What he saw just then were two acorn woodpeckers sharing a nest where one laid an egg and the other one ate it —so instead of taking a chance on losing the case even if he brought out the error, that would have been the end of it, you can always lose a law case remember? So he let it pass, he let their error pass on purpose so he could base the appeal on it that was the real trap! That was the trap he laid for all of them and they jumped right into it, now don't you see? But what he saw now was the Australian red-back spider jumping into the female's jaws in the midst of mating which he continued undismayed as she chewed at his abdomen, munching the last of the Twinkie —there! Based on a true story Oscar that's the true story, I know it is! He held back for the appeal because he knew he could win it and it all fell to pieces when he couldn't show up to handle it himself off making your brooms or on the run God only knows where have you heard what I've said Oscar? that he wasn't just smart and a lawyer and a really decent man have you heard what I've told you?