something was wrong, but at the time I just assumed the guy was a simple-minded bigot. I didn’t think about what else could be going on inside his head.
“There’s a good reason for the aluminum foil,” he said.
“Yeah, I heard about this once,” Franklin said. “It’s to keep the radio waves out, right?”
The man shook his head. “Radio waves? You think aluminum foil keeps out radio waves? This is for microwaves.”
“Microwaves,” Franklin said. “Of course.”
“You said your name was McKnight?” he said to me.
“Yes,” I said.
“Would it be possible perhaps to have this …” He looked Franklin up and down. “… this individual step outside. I’d be happy to talk to you alone.”
“No, that would not be possible,” I said. I knew that Franklin had a long fuse, but I was starting to get a little worried. If our roles had been reversed, I would have already been fighting the urge to bend the guy’s arms behind his back and cuff him.
“I don’t get it,” the guy said. He started to rock back and forth from one foot to the other. “The two of you. Are you really partners? Do you work together every day?”
“All day long,” Franklin said. “Sometimes we even drink from the same drinking fountain.”
“This is very interesting,” he said. “This could be valuable information.”
“All right, sir,” I said. “I’m going to sit down.” I took one of the three chairs and sat down at the table. “My partner is going to sit down, too.” Franklin kept looking at the man, then finally sat down next to me. “Please, sir, have a seat.”
The man sat down.
“What is your name?” I asked.
“My last name is Rose,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to tell you.”
“No first name?”
“First names are personal names,” he said. “If you know somebody’s first name, you have power over him. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Franklin folded his arms and looked at the ceiling.
“I understand you’ve been spending time at the emergency room at Memorial.”
“Is that what they told you?”
“Yes, that’s what they told me.”
“I may have stopped by there. Once or twice.”
“They say you’ve been there quite often.”
“And you believe them,” he said.
“Never mind them,” I said. “Have you been there?”
“I suppose I must have,” he said. “If that’s what they told you.”
“Mr. Rose, you’re not making this very easy.”
“Do you two really spend all day together?”
“Oh, good Lord,” Franklin said. I could tell he had heard enough. “What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You’redown there at the hospital scaring people all day long, acting like a lunatic. I mean, if you’re crazy, be crazy. That’s fine. Go see a shrink. If you’re doing drugs, get in a program. Do something for yourself. Or just sit up here in your tinfoil room, I don’t care. Just don’t be bothering people at the hospital, all right? They have enough problems down there without you hiding behind the plants. And what’s the deal with that wig, anyway? You look like that rock singer. What’s his name, Alex? The guy with the hair.”
“Peter Frampton?” I said.
“No, the other guy. From Led Zeppelin.”
“Robert Plant?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Franklin said. “He looks just like him.”
“I think he looks more like Peter Frampton,” I said.
“Are you two about done here?” he said.
“No, I’m afraid not, Mr. Rose,” I said. “You see, we need to tell you something very important. And you need to listen to us. All right? You need to stop going to that hospital. Okay? You can’t go there anymore.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he said.
“Why is that not possible?”
“I’m doing important work there,” he said. “I can’t stop now. Do you play billiards?”
“Mr. Rose …”
“You know what the eight ball does, don’t you? It divides the rest of the balls into the high and the low. The high
“There’s a good reason for the aluminum foil,” he said.
“Yeah, I heard about this once,” Franklin said. “It’s to keep the radio waves out, right?”
The man shook his head. “Radio waves? You think aluminum foil keeps out radio waves? This is for microwaves.”
“Microwaves,” Franklin said. “Of course.”
“You said your name was McKnight?” he said to me.
“Yes,” I said.
“Would it be possible perhaps to have this …” He looked Franklin up and down. “… this individual step outside. I’d be happy to talk to you alone.”
“No, that would not be possible,” I said. I knew that Franklin had a long fuse, but I was starting to get a little worried. If our roles had been reversed, I would have already been fighting the urge to bend the guy’s arms behind his back and cuff him.
“I don’t get it,” the guy said. He started to rock back and forth from one foot to the other. “The two of you. Are you really partners? Do you work together every day?”
“All day long,” Franklin said. “Sometimes we even drink from the same drinking fountain.”
“This is very interesting,” he said. “This could be valuable information.”
“All right, sir,” I said. “I’m going to sit down.” I took one of the three chairs and sat down at the table. “My partner is going to sit down, too.” Franklin kept looking at the man, then finally sat down next to me. “Please, sir, have a seat.”
The man sat down.
“What is your name?” I asked.
“My last name is Rose,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to tell you.”
“No first name?”
“First names are personal names,” he said. “If you know somebody’s first name, you have power over him. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Franklin folded his arms and looked at the ceiling.
“I understand you’ve been spending time at the emergency room at Memorial.”
“Is that what they told you?”
“Yes, that’s what they told me.”
“I may have stopped by there. Once or twice.”
“They say you’ve been there quite often.”
“And you believe them,” he said.
“Never mind them,” I said. “Have you been there?”
“I suppose I must have,” he said. “If that’s what they told you.”
“Mr. Rose, you’re not making this very easy.”
“Do you two really spend all day together?”
“Oh, good Lord,” Franklin said. I could tell he had heard enough. “What the hell is wrong with you, anyway? You’redown there at the hospital scaring people all day long, acting like a lunatic. I mean, if you’re crazy, be crazy. That’s fine. Go see a shrink. If you’re doing drugs, get in a program. Do something for yourself. Or just sit up here in your tinfoil room, I don’t care. Just don’t be bothering people at the hospital, all right? They have enough problems down there without you hiding behind the plants. And what’s the deal with that wig, anyway? You look like that rock singer. What’s his name, Alex? The guy with the hair.”
“Peter Frampton?” I said.
“No, the other guy. From Led Zeppelin.”
“Robert Plant?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” Franklin said. “He looks just like him.”
“I think he looks more like Peter Frampton,” I said.
“Are you two about done here?” he said.
“No, I’m afraid not, Mr. Rose,” I said. “You see, we need to tell you something very important. And you need to listen to us. All right? You need to stop going to that hospital. Okay? You can’t go there anymore.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he said.
“Why is that not possible?”
“I’m doing important work there,” he said. “I can’t stop now. Do you play billiards?”
“Mr. Rose …”
“You know what the eight ball does, don’t you? It divides the rest of the balls into the high and the low. The high
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