can’t recall ever having heard from Derek before. Is it because he caught a s h i p m a d e o f pa p e r
Daniel looking at the African-American porn magazines? Or does Derek somehow sense that Daniel has fallen in love with a black woman? Did Daniel ever, in some swoon of nostalgia for their old boyhood closeness, talk to Derek about Iris?
Derek draws on his cigarette and pulls the smoke deep into his lungs—he smoked marijuana before cigarettes and it shows.When he finally exhales, very little of the smoke comes back out.
“What about tonight?” he asks Daniel. “Want to get a bite to eat or something?”
“I don’t know, Derek. It’s really hard to get Kate to go out, you know that.” And, for all Daniel knows, Derek may sense that Kate finds him dull company and that Stephanie is a sort of paradigm for suburban fu-tility, with her mall bangs and turquoise spandex tights, her exhausting cheerfulness—Kate calls her the last of the Stepford Wives.
“I was thinking just you and me, Danny,” Derek says. His face colors and Daniel realizes with a helpless lurch that his old friend feels embarrassed asking him to sit down and share a meal. But the embarrassment, rather than make Derek shrink back, somehow propels him forward. He has nothing more to lose. “I really would like that,” he says. “We—”
“No, that would be great,” Daniel says, not being able to bear the awkwardness a moment longer. “I’ll just make sure nothing’s pending at home.
I’ll call you around six, six-thirty.” Who knows? They might go to a restaurant and end up accidentally seeing Iris.Wouldn’t that be something?
Derek flicks his Camel Light into the rain. “How cool is it that you moved back here?” he says, grinning, shaking his head. His cruiser is parked next to Daniel’s car, blue lights slowly revolving, and every car that passes on the highway slows down at the sight of it. He has left the window open and the sound of his radio can be heard. The dispatcher’s voice, static moving through it like whitewater. Daniel cannot understand a word, and Derek seems not even to hear it.
“How’s Mercy Crane working out?” he asks.
“She’s great. Thanks for putting us in touch with her.”
[ 67 ]
“She used to baby-sit for Chelsea.” He clasps his hands behind his back and stretches extravagantly. “She’s really something.”
“Mercy?”
“Real strict parents, though. Especially Jeff. He’s nuts, you gotta watch out for him. He’s the kind of cop that gives cops a bad name.”
“She likes movies. I always try and rent something interesting for her to watch.”
“Oh yeah, she likes movies. And music, and just laughing her ass off.
She’s an amazing girl.And sexy, don’t you think? Not that I would ever do anything, but God, she is so fucking hot, those big eyes and those little spindly wrists and always wearing just enough perfume to let you know she knows exactly what you’re thinking.” He claps Daniel on the back.
“All right, buddy, go back in there and do your business, I’m out of here.”
“Me, too.”
“Yeah? What about your magazines?”
“Just looking.”
“I didn’t mean to bust you, Danny. Feel free. Our age, a nice jerk-off helps keep the lid on. Though I could never, not with a black lady. It just doesn’t do it for me.”
“I’ll call you tonight, then,” Daniel says.
“Okay, good. I really need to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay, Derek?”
Derek looks at him as if he were insane. “Of course not,” he says, and then laughs. Daniel stands there and watches Derek get into his cruiser and drive away. He gets into his own car and drives into Leyden, through the rain that is now just beginning to include a few intermittent streaks of snow, loose skeins of white woven into the gray of the day.
Daniel arrives at his office building, swings around back, where there is parking for tenants and clients only. The first thing he sees is a green Volvo station
Daniel looking at the African-American porn magazines? Or does Derek somehow sense that Daniel has fallen in love with a black woman? Did Daniel ever, in some swoon of nostalgia for their old boyhood closeness, talk to Derek about Iris?
Derek draws on his cigarette and pulls the smoke deep into his lungs—he smoked marijuana before cigarettes and it shows.When he finally exhales, very little of the smoke comes back out.
“What about tonight?” he asks Daniel. “Want to get a bite to eat or something?”
“I don’t know, Derek. It’s really hard to get Kate to go out, you know that.” And, for all Daniel knows, Derek may sense that Kate finds him dull company and that Stephanie is a sort of paradigm for suburban fu-tility, with her mall bangs and turquoise spandex tights, her exhausting cheerfulness—Kate calls her the last of the Stepford Wives.
“I was thinking just you and me, Danny,” Derek says. His face colors and Daniel realizes with a helpless lurch that his old friend feels embarrassed asking him to sit down and share a meal. But the embarrassment, rather than make Derek shrink back, somehow propels him forward. He has nothing more to lose. “I really would like that,” he says. “We—”
“No, that would be great,” Daniel says, not being able to bear the awkwardness a moment longer. “I’ll just make sure nothing’s pending at home.
I’ll call you around six, six-thirty.” Who knows? They might go to a restaurant and end up accidentally seeing Iris.Wouldn’t that be something?
Derek flicks his Camel Light into the rain. “How cool is it that you moved back here?” he says, grinning, shaking his head. His cruiser is parked next to Daniel’s car, blue lights slowly revolving, and every car that passes on the highway slows down at the sight of it. He has left the window open and the sound of his radio can be heard. The dispatcher’s voice, static moving through it like whitewater. Daniel cannot understand a word, and Derek seems not even to hear it.
“How’s Mercy Crane working out?” he asks.
“She’s great. Thanks for putting us in touch with her.”
[ 67 ]
“She used to baby-sit for Chelsea.” He clasps his hands behind his back and stretches extravagantly. “She’s really something.”
“Mercy?”
“Real strict parents, though. Especially Jeff. He’s nuts, you gotta watch out for him. He’s the kind of cop that gives cops a bad name.”
“She likes movies. I always try and rent something interesting for her to watch.”
“Oh yeah, she likes movies. And music, and just laughing her ass off.
She’s an amazing girl.And sexy, don’t you think? Not that I would ever do anything, but God, she is so fucking hot, those big eyes and those little spindly wrists and always wearing just enough perfume to let you know she knows exactly what you’re thinking.” He claps Daniel on the back.
“All right, buddy, go back in there and do your business, I’m out of here.”
“Me, too.”
“Yeah? What about your magazines?”
“Just looking.”
“I didn’t mean to bust you, Danny. Feel free. Our age, a nice jerk-off helps keep the lid on. Though I could never, not with a black lady. It just doesn’t do it for me.”
“I’ll call you tonight, then,” Daniel says.
“Okay, good. I really need to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay, Derek?”
Derek looks at him as if he were insane. “Of course not,” he says, and then laughs. Daniel stands there and watches Derek get into his cruiser and drive away. He gets into his own car and drives into Leyden, through the rain that is now just beginning to include a few intermittent streaks of snow, loose skeins of white woven into the gray of the day.
Daniel arrives at his office building, swings around back, where there is parking for tenants and clients only. The first thing he sees is a green Volvo station
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