Husbands And Lap Dogs Breathe Their Last by David Steven Rappoport

Go!”
    Elektra showed Cummings out.

 
     
     
Chapter Eight
     
     
    Odin, who was not normally gloomy, seemed sullen when he picked up Cummings at the airport.
    “Is something wrong?” Cummings asked finally after several minutes of silence.
    “I didn’t want to tell you on the phone.”
    “Tell me what?”
    “Business travel is down. Multiverse Air is cutting back. Jim called me into his office today and told me I’m being laid off. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
    “Don’t worry. We’ll manage.”
    “I don’t see how. You’re barely making any money, and they’re offering a severance package of only six weeks’ salary.”
    “I’m looking for a job and consulting work.”
    “But you’re not finding anything.”
    “That could change. Anyway, if we have to, we can take money out of our retirement savings.”
    “Then what will we retire on?”
    “I have no idea, but look at the positive. After this recession no one’s going to be able to afford to retire ever again!”
    Cummings said this in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Odin didn’t laugh or even smile.
    “That was a joke,” Cummings said. Then, trying to sound reassuring, he added, “We’ll figure something out.”
     
    Chicago Pagan Pride was always held on a Sunday at an Arts and Crafts mansion, Caldecott House, in the suburb of Oak Park. Caldecott House was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students as a private residence for a wealthy grain merchant and his family. During the Depression a downturn in family fortunes resulted in an accumulation of unpaid real estate taxes. The town of Oak Park acquired the building just before World War II. It was expensive to maintain. To keep the wolf from the ornately carved oak doors, it was regularly rented out for receptions and events, including Pagan Pride.
    Cummings stopped at the registration area and picked up a program of the day’s events. Workshops would be presented on investigating ghosts, ritual practice, divination techniques, assorted magickal traditions (spelled with a k to differentiate it from stage magic) and various pagan religious paths. To Cummings, this was an entirely new world.
    The house sat on a large grassy lot, where rings of vendor booths had been arrayed. Most were informal affairs with plastic tables inside simple tenting.
    Cummings strolled among the vendor booths and assessed the crowd. The attendees seemed commonplace, if drawn to exotic hair tints, kilts, capes and heavy black eye make-up.
    The vendors seemed to represent a mix of pagan sub-genres. These included vodou and hoodoo, which Cummings learned were not the same thing. (The former is a religion, while the latter is a folk magic tradition.) There were Asatru (practitioners of the Nordic traditions); Tarot card readers (which originated in Italy); Traditional Witchcraft devotees (known as “Trad Craft”) and many others. The goods for sale included amulets, talismans, crystals, candles, wands, swords, cards, books and even pagan holiday guest towels. Perusing these, Cummings learned Halloween could be referred to by its Celtic name, Samhain, pronounced SOW-in. Cummings also saw blank journals, mystical paintings, ritual clothing such as might be suitable to dress the witches in Macbeth and many items designed to interest cats, although there was nothing for dogs.
    Cummings attempted to engage vendors in conversation, but his lack of content knowledge made it apparent he was an outsider. Further, his attempts to probe, such as by asking, “What is it you find engaging about all of this?” didn’t seem to result in meaningful responses. Instead he received friendly but cold smiles, or nervous giggles, or piercing looks that informed him he’d violated etiquette.
    He concluded there was nothing much to see and little more to learn, so he did not stay long. As he left he pondered why mystical leftovers from earlier times continued to be so appealing. An engagement with the