we call you patients—because you have to be patient,” the nurse says cheerfully. “Now you want to lie back for me? And make a fist.”
From out of nowhere, Lila can hear Spence telling about the war, about a guy on his ship who went ashore one night on one of the Pacific islands and got himself tattooed. Spence wrote in his letter, “He had his whole butt tattooed with a picture of two beagles in a field— a pretty field, with green grass. And the dogs were after a rabbit that was disappearing into his crack. The next day the bos’n made him chip paint all day, and he hurt so bad he cried. It was a pretty picture, though, the grass was just as green! But I sure bet that hurt. He’s a big guy too.” She’s about to laugh, remembering that letter.
She sees the girls whispering. The patient in the other bed is up walking again, but she refused her breakfast. Lila’s breakfast was ice water. She wasn’t hungry anyway. Food doesn’t taste right to her anymore. The food on her trip to New Orleans back in March was unappetizing. The gumbo even had shells in it. Now Nancy is bending over her, hugging her, followed by Cat, her face close to Lila’s. Cat whispers, “Hang in there, Mom.” Spence is edging out the door as the orderlies appear with a bed on wheels. In their green outfits, they are leprechauns. Or men from Mars. “Are you going to give me some sugar or not?” Lila calls to Spence.
“I reckon,” he says, clutching her hand and bending down to kiss her. He’s self-conscious, but the nurse is busy filling out a chart and doesn’t notice them.
“Take care of my babies,” she says, meaning the cat and dog. “And don’t forget them beans.”
“I won’t forget your old beans!” He chokes on his laugh.
As the leprechauns wheel her away, she sees Spence gazing after her helplessly. She has forgotten to tell Nancy and Cat something, something important she meant to say about Spence. His face disappears and she is in an elevator, with music playing, the kind of music they play in heaven.
5
Spence can’t stand hospitals. The smells make him sick. The sounds of pain hurt. In an hour, the doctor will telephone Lila’s room with the biopsy report, which will determine how he should proceed with the surgery. Spence hates waiting.
He drives to a gas station that has a mini-market. There, he buys two baked potatoes with cheese topping and eats them in the car with a can of Coke. He plays the radio, his rock station. The potatoes need more pepper. Nancy and Cat urged him to eat in the cafeteria with them, but he had little appetite in a building with so many sick people and their germs. In the corridor when he arrived at the hospital that morning, Spence saw a man with a hole in his face where his nose had been. Spence knows a man who went to the cancer specialists in Memphis and had a new nose grafted on. His face doesn’t look bad with the new nose, considering it came from a dead man. When Spence told Nancy about it, she didn’t believe him. Nancy always believes what she wants to believe. He smiles, thinking of how the doctor outsmarted her when she tried to challenge him. Spence is proud of his daughter, though. She has an important job—something to do with computers—with a company that requires her to travel all over the United States. When Nancy married Jack Cleveland, a Yankee, Spence was sure she was making a mistake. He was afraid there wasn’t a living in photography—more of a hobby than work—but the marriage has lasted, and Robert is a smart, good-looking boy. It pains Spence that Nancy lives so far away. She went up there right after college. She was always restless and adventurous, because of the books she read. When she was little, she would read the same book over and over, as if she could make it come true.
Spence finishes the potatoes, gasses up the car, then drives to an auto-supply store to buy a windshield-wiper blade refill, but he can’t find the right length and he
From out of nowhere, Lila can hear Spence telling about the war, about a guy on his ship who went ashore one night on one of the Pacific islands and got himself tattooed. Spence wrote in his letter, “He had his whole butt tattooed with a picture of two beagles in a field— a pretty field, with green grass. And the dogs were after a rabbit that was disappearing into his crack. The next day the bos’n made him chip paint all day, and he hurt so bad he cried. It was a pretty picture, though, the grass was just as green! But I sure bet that hurt. He’s a big guy too.” She’s about to laugh, remembering that letter.
She sees the girls whispering. The patient in the other bed is up walking again, but she refused her breakfast. Lila’s breakfast was ice water. She wasn’t hungry anyway. Food doesn’t taste right to her anymore. The food on her trip to New Orleans back in March was unappetizing. The gumbo even had shells in it. Now Nancy is bending over her, hugging her, followed by Cat, her face close to Lila’s. Cat whispers, “Hang in there, Mom.” Spence is edging out the door as the orderlies appear with a bed on wheels. In their green outfits, they are leprechauns. Or men from Mars. “Are you going to give me some sugar or not?” Lila calls to Spence.
“I reckon,” he says, clutching her hand and bending down to kiss her. He’s self-conscious, but the nurse is busy filling out a chart and doesn’t notice them.
“Take care of my babies,” she says, meaning the cat and dog. “And don’t forget them beans.”
“I won’t forget your old beans!” He chokes on his laugh.
As the leprechauns wheel her away, she sees Spence gazing after her helplessly. She has forgotten to tell Nancy and Cat something, something important she meant to say about Spence. His face disappears and she is in an elevator, with music playing, the kind of music they play in heaven.
5
Spence can’t stand hospitals. The smells make him sick. The sounds of pain hurt. In an hour, the doctor will telephone Lila’s room with the biopsy report, which will determine how he should proceed with the surgery. Spence hates waiting.
He drives to a gas station that has a mini-market. There, he buys two baked potatoes with cheese topping and eats them in the car with a can of Coke. He plays the radio, his rock station. The potatoes need more pepper. Nancy and Cat urged him to eat in the cafeteria with them, but he had little appetite in a building with so many sick people and their germs. In the corridor when he arrived at the hospital that morning, Spence saw a man with a hole in his face where his nose had been. Spence knows a man who went to the cancer specialists in Memphis and had a new nose grafted on. His face doesn’t look bad with the new nose, considering it came from a dead man. When Spence told Nancy about it, she didn’t believe him. Nancy always believes what she wants to believe. He smiles, thinking of how the doctor outsmarted her when she tried to challenge him. Spence is proud of his daughter, though. She has an important job—something to do with computers—with a company that requires her to travel all over the United States. When Nancy married Jack Cleveland, a Yankee, Spence was sure she was making a mistake. He was afraid there wasn’t a living in photography—more of a hobby than work—but the marriage has lasted, and Robert is a smart, good-looking boy. It pains Spence that Nancy lives so far away. She went up there right after college. She was always restless and adventurous, because of the books she read. When she was little, she would read the same book over and over, as if she could make it come true.
Spence finishes the potatoes, gasses up the car, then drives to an auto-supply store to buy a windshield-wiper blade refill, but he can’t find the right length and he
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