boomed.
She came in the front doors as Joe and I sat waiting. He wouldn't go upstairs, he wouldn't change, he just sat in the chair, feet planted. I wanted to wait for her out in the courtyard but he said, "Stay here, Evie," and that was that.
Mom smiled as she saw us, but something in Joe's face must have warned her, because she tossed her hair back in a way I knew well. When the rent was late, when she hadn't paid the milkman, she never got weasely, she got defiant.
Joe put down his drink and leaned back. "How was the golf game?"
She took another deliberate step forward and picked up his drink. She took a sip.
Arlene came though the door then, carrying her big canvas bag, and Mom put down the drink.
"Hello, troops," Mrs. Grayson said.
"I didn't go golfing today," Mom said. "I was with Arlene."
Arlene was wearing her sunglasses. We couldn't see her eyes. And if you weren't watching carefully, if you were, like Joe, keeping your eyes on your wife, you wouldn't have seen that she hesitated for a minute before she turned to Joe. "I found all the bargains, you'll be glad to hear," Arlene said to him. "Your wallet is safe, m'dear."
Arlene walked off to the elevator. Mom leaned over and kissed Joe. "Let me take a quick bath and I'll join you," she said. She slipped away, hurrying to catch the elevator with Mrs. Grayson.
"You didn't tell her," I said.
Joe leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
That night the voices woke me up. Arguing. "Why ties, Bev?”
“Not this again."
"Why ties? Why not gloves? Why not dresses?"
"Oh, for Pete's sake. I told you, that's where they placed me."
"The tie department?"
"That's right, Joe." Her voice was so weary.
"You must have had a lot of customers."
He hit the last word with a hard
c
and let it roll out,
cus-to-mers.
"Shhh! You'll wake the hotel!"
I slid out of bed and went to the louvered door, put my ear against it.
"Yeah," he continued. "Mom told me how well you did, how you sold more ties in a month than the poor slob you took over for did in a year."
"Not really. There was a war on —"
"Oh, you remember that, do you?"
I heard the sounds of them moving around, getting ready for bed. The slap of the hairbrush against the vanity.
"So you recalled you had a husband in the service, that's good."
"It's late. Let's go to sleep."
"And the candy store, Bev. Nice how your uncle took care of you."
"Yeah, it was lucky."
"Evie told me. Cut you plenty of slack, gave you extra money on rent day. But then after he died, your aunt cut you off. Why do you think she did that?"
"Because she was a bitch."
"No reason, then."
"Dry up."
"No reason in the world.”
“I'm going to bed."
"Right?" Joe's voice was loud now. I heard a crash, and Mom gave a little yell. I flung open the door.
The pineapple vase was on the floor, smashed. Mom bent down to pick up the pieces. I started forward, but she shook her head.
"Go to bed, baby." Her voice was calm but her hands shook as she stacked the pieces, bright yellow, bright green.
"No reason in the world." Joe muttered this, his back to me, and I heard ice hit a glass.
I woke up to the sound of my door opening. Four a.m . I sat up. Joe stumbled through the doorway, tripped on a sandal, and fell by my bed.
He cursed into the carpet. There was no Grandma Glad to say
None of that language, you're out of the army now, Sergeant.
"Are you okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah." He turned over and lay faceup. "I love her. I love your mother. You know that.”
“I know that."
"I didn't mean to break the vase.”
“I know."
"I'm not sorry it broke, though. Damn, it was ugly."
Somehow Joe and I started to laugh. "It was just plain awful," I whispered.
Joe stared at the ceiling. "She's all I thought about, getting back stateside, doing right by Bev. Getting her things she never had. Taking care of her. She's my baby doll." In the dim light, I saw the silvery streaks of tears on Joe's face. "I'm all balled up, now. I'm just all
She came in the front doors as Joe and I sat waiting. He wouldn't go upstairs, he wouldn't change, he just sat in the chair, feet planted. I wanted to wait for her out in the courtyard but he said, "Stay here, Evie," and that was that.
Mom smiled as she saw us, but something in Joe's face must have warned her, because she tossed her hair back in a way I knew well. When the rent was late, when she hadn't paid the milkman, she never got weasely, she got defiant.
Joe put down his drink and leaned back. "How was the golf game?"
She took another deliberate step forward and picked up his drink. She took a sip.
Arlene came though the door then, carrying her big canvas bag, and Mom put down the drink.
"Hello, troops," Mrs. Grayson said.
"I didn't go golfing today," Mom said. "I was with Arlene."
Arlene was wearing her sunglasses. We couldn't see her eyes. And if you weren't watching carefully, if you were, like Joe, keeping your eyes on your wife, you wouldn't have seen that she hesitated for a minute before she turned to Joe. "I found all the bargains, you'll be glad to hear," Arlene said to him. "Your wallet is safe, m'dear."
Arlene walked off to the elevator. Mom leaned over and kissed Joe. "Let me take a quick bath and I'll join you," she said. She slipped away, hurrying to catch the elevator with Mrs. Grayson.
"You didn't tell her," I said.
Joe leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
That night the voices woke me up. Arguing. "Why ties, Bev?”
“Not this again."
"Why ties? Why not gloves? Why not dresses?"
"Oh, for Pete's sake. I told you, that's where they placed me."
"The tie department?"
"That's right, Joe." Her voice was so weary.
"You must have had a lot of customers."
He hit the last word with a hard
c
and let it roll out,
cus-to-mers.
"Shhh! You'll wake the hotel!"
I slid out of bed and went to the louvered door, put my ear against it.
"Yeah," he continued. "Mom told me how well you did, how you sold more ties in a month than the poor slob you took over for did in a year."
"Not really. There was a war on —"
"Oh, you remember that, do you?"
I heard the sounds of them moving around, getting ready for bed. The slap of the hairbrush against the vanity.
"So you recalled you had a husband in the service, that's good."
"It's late. Let's go to sleep."
"And the candy store, Bev. Nice how your uncle took care of you."
"Yeah, it was lucky."
"Evie told me. Cut you plenty of slack, gave you extra money on rent day. But then after he died, your aunt cut you off. Why do you think she did that?"
"Because she was a bitch."
"No reason, then."
"Dry up."
"No reason in the world.”
“I'm going to bed."
"Right?" Joe's voice was loud now. I heard a crash, and Mom gave a little yell. I flung open the door.
The pineapple vase was on the floor, smashed. Mom bent down to pick up the pieces. I started forward, but she shook her head.
"Go to bed, baby." Her voice was calm but her hands shook as she stacked the pieces, bright yellow, bright green.
"No reason in the world." Joe muttered this, his back to me, and I heard ice hit a glass.
I woke up to the sound of my door opening. Four a.m . I sat up. Joe stumbled through the doorway, tripped on a sandal, and fell by my bed.
He cursed into the carpet. There was no Grandma Glad to say
None of that language, you're out of the army now, Sergeant.
"Are you okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah." He turned over and lay faceup. "I love her. I love your mother. You know that.”
“I know that."
"I didn't mean to break the vase.”
“I know."
"I'm not sorry it broke, though. Damn, it was ugly."
Somehow Joe and I started to laugh. "It was just plain awful," I whispered.
Joe stared at the ceiling. "She's all I thought about, getting back stateside, doing right by Bev. Getting her things she never had. Taking care of her. She's my baby doll." In the dim light, I saw the silvery streaks of tears on Joe's face. "I'm all balled up, now. I'm just all
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