The Flex of the Thumb by James Bennett Page A

advisement.”
    â€œIf that’s what you say, I am not wont to quarrel with it.”
    Vano was so deep in it didn’t occur to him that this was an odd sort of exchange.
    Reggie left in higher spirits. He made his way directly to Mrs. Askew’s desk. “Do we offer any courses in astrology, Mrs. Askew?”
    â€œI doubt it.”
    â€œWhat do you think of astrology, if you don’t mind my asking?”
    â€œPersonally, I would never set foot out of the house without first consulting my horoscope.”
    Reggie found her remark even more encouraging than Oboe Meel’s. He inquired, “Mrs. Askew, what is it exactly that the trustees’ report says about our curriculum?”
    She had to pause a few moments while she chewed her pencil. “Well, for one thing, it says we need to set our sights higher.”
    â€œThat’s good enough for me,” said Reggie. “You can’t set your sights much higher than the stars in the heavens.”
    He went to his office where he collapsed in the swivel chair. Tired though he was, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment. First (through his encounter with Chaplain Johansen), he had struck the initiative to move the campus in the direction of godliness. Now, he was about to take the lead in curriculum development.
    It was on a Thursday afternoon when Mary Thorne made her way up to the third floor of Vano’s dorm. Then she made her way to Vano’s room. This was against policy, as these were not designated visiting hours, but when Mary was getting heat, she didn’t let much of anything stand in her way.
    Robin Snook was at football practice, but Arnold Beeker was seated at his desk, working on a calculus template on his computer screen. Mary said to Arnold, “Get lost.”
    Arnold could tell by her demeanor that this wasn’t the time to proclaim his rights. He left. As soon as he was gone, Mary closed the door behind him. She embraced Vano savagely, then began rapidly removing his clothes.
    They made love passionately (at least for her part) on his bed in a feverish congress which lasted the better part of 20 minutes. Then Mary sat on the edge of the bed and smoked a cigarette, yet another policy violation. While doing this she informed him, “Coach Radulski keeps calling me. He wants me to influence you to pitch baseball.”
    This information didn’t surprise Vano, nor did it disturb the comfortable resonance of his zone.
    â€œHe’s an alkie,” said Mary. “I bet you didn’t know that.”
    â€œI think I did know that,” Vano replied.
    â€œHe wants me to manipulate you.”
    When Vano had the reply he wanted, he said, “I used to be a pitcher. I’m pretty sure I was very good. What did you say to him?”
    â€œI told him to kiss off. I don’t manipulate, I get heat.” She dropped her cigarette into a waiting Mountain Dew can and listened to the ssizzz . Then she changed the subject. “It’s a burden to have a body this beautiful. I bet you never thought of that, did you?”
    â€œI’m pretty sure I never have, Mary.”
    â€œA little faster, huh? The point is, when you have a body this beautiful you have to take care of every part. Just take my feet for instance. If I’m going to wear sandals, which I often do, I have to make sure my feet are beautiful. How many people have to deal with that ??”
    Vano tried to think about it briefly, but couldn’t get anywhere.
    Mary went on, “You have no idea the work that goes into it. Your feet have to be tan on top. They don’t have to be tan on the bottom, feet are the one place where it’s okay to have a tan line. Your feet always have to be real clean and well manicured; sloppy toenails are really gross. Really gross. Then if you want to put nail polish on your toenails, it has to be just the right shade. I had this nice beige shade once in the spring, but as soon as my feet