study for her GMAT right about the time Marco moved into the apartment. She had been unhappy working there and wanted to do something different with her life. Everyone she talked to suggested business. With her medical background and an MBA degree, lots of doors would be open to her. Besides studying for her graduate exam, she was using the time off work to have the toes on her right foot un-webbed. She had wanted to do something about her foot ever since she could remember, and Doug agreed. It was ridiculous to walk around with something that could be so easily changed. The operation was cosmetic, but she had never been able to afford it until she married Doug.
The procedure was not very complicated. It consisted of a series of operations to tear away the skin between the individual toes. Her foot was too sore to put weight on and walking was painful. Doug had an old pair of crutches, and she tried using them, but they were too tall and dug into her underarms. She spent most of her time on the couch with her study guides open on her lap. She flipped through them without reading a word and made doodles in the margins with the pencils she sharpened with her eyeliner sharpener. She was afraid that if she watched TV sheâd get addicted to afternoon soap operas. Instead, she listened to the radio. She called in when they announced contests and tried to win prizes. She was the sixth caller once. The station was giving away front-row tickets to the U2 concert to the seventh caller, but the disc jockey took her song request and played it a half hour after her call.
Marco was afraid Marybeth would get tired of seeing him all the time, so he tried not to bother her. Job hunting was toughâno one was hiringâbut he made a few calls every morning. Mostly he called friends, who loved to talk but couldnât help him connect with a job. They planned their evening workouts and gossiped like guys do, as if everything theyâre talking about is business.
With no income, Marco couldnât go anywhere except to the gym, where his job at the Herald had guaranteed him a lifetime membership. Mornings he spent at the pool. Built right in the center of the condominium complex, the kidney-shaped pool was surrounded by trees that shed tiny red berries on the lounge chairs. A woman and her two kids were always there. No matter how early Marco got up, the three of them would be there before him. The kids had neon-colored floats and played a stupid game called Marco Polo. There were only two of themâone kept his eyes closed and called out Marco, the other was supposed to answer. Hearing his own name was irritating, as was their cheating. One didnât keep his eyes closed and the other pretended to be underwater and didnât answer. They splashed water everywhere and never got tired. The motherâperhaps she was the baby-sitterânapped all morning long. Their screaming didnât seem to bother her, and she seemed just as oblivious to the red stains the berries were making on the backs of her thighs.
After an hour at the pool, Marco would take a walk around the neighborhood. The Key Biscayne library had odd summer hours that he could never keep straight, but the librarian had once asked him if he was one of the boat people, and Marco, misunderstanding her question, answered yes. She issued him a marina library card for people who had boats in the bay. Books wrapped in plastic covers could be checked out for two months at a time.
Marybeth was bored out of her mind. She flunked every single one of the practice exams and figured she wasnât business school material. She thought about going back to her nursing job, but when she called the retirement home, they said they wouldnât need her until September.
She started going through the Miami Herald every morning, when Marco was finished with it. She carefully crossed out the jobs she had already called about or the ones she wasnât qualified or
The procedure was not very complicated. It consisted of a series of operations to tear away the skin between the individual toes. Her foot was too sore to put weight on and walking was painful. Doug had an old pair of crutches, and she tried using them, but they were too tall and dug into her underarms. She spent most of her time on the couch with her study guides open on her lap. She flipped through them without reading a word and made doodles in the margins with the pencils she sharpened with her eyeliner sharpener. She was afraid that if she watched TV sheâd get addicted to afternoon soap operas. Instead, she listened to the radio. She called in when they announced contests and tried to win prizes. She was the sixth caller once. The station was giving away front-row tickets to the U2 concert to the seventh caller, but the disc jockey took her song request and played it a half hour after her call.
Marco was afraid Marybeth would get tired of seeing him all the time, so he tried not to bother her. Job hunting was toughâno one was hiringâbut he made a few calls every morning. Mostly he called friends, who loved to talk but couldnât help him connect with a job. They planned their evening workouts and gossiped like guys do, as if everything theyâre talking about is business.
With no income, Marco couldnât go anywhere except to the gym, where his job at the Herald had guaranteed him a lifetime membership. Mornings he spent at the pool. Built right in the center of the condominium complex, the kidney-shaped pool was surrounded by trees that shed tiny red berries on the lounge chairs. A woman and her two kids were always there. No matter how early Marco got up, the three of them would be there before him. The kids had neon-colored floats and played a stupid game called Marco Polo. There were only two of themâone kept his eyes closed and called out Marco, the other was supposed to answer. Hearing his own name was irritating, as was their cheating. One didnât keep his eyes closed and the other pretended to be underwater and didnât answer. They splashed water everywhere and never got tired. The motherâperhaps she was the baby-sitterânapped all morning long. Their screaming didnât seem to bother her, and she seemed just as oblivious to the red stains the berries were making on the backs of her thighs.
After an hour at the pool, Marco would take a walk around the neighborhood. The Key Biscayne library had odd summer hours that he could never keep straight, but the librarian had once asked him if he was one of the boat people, and Marco, misunderstanding her question, answered yes. She issued him a marina library card for people who had boats in the bay. Books wrapped in plastic covers could be checked out for two months at a time.
Marybeth was bored out of her mind. She flunked every single one of the practice exams and figured she wasnât business school material. She thought about going back to her nursing job, but when she called the retirement home, they said they wouldnât need her until September.
She started going through the Miami Herald every morning, when Marco was finished with it. She carefully crossed out the jobs she had already called about or the ones she wasnât qualified or
Similar Books
