you.'
'Ciao then,' and off she sauntered. Ciao? What on earth does that mean? Janet felt like the one bird left behind after the rest of the flock had migrated. She couldn ' t shake the feeling, and when Ted propo sed in a Hungarian restaurant on the next Friday nigh t, she accepted. For the mon ths prior to the wedding ,
not a day passed withou t moments of remorse, as though she'd spent all of her carefully saved money on a dress she had no place to wear. But Ted's so handsome and mysterious! But what have I done? I barely know the man. What if he snores? What if we don' t get along? What if —
The next what-if was hard to even think of, let alone put into words, the what-if of the flesh. Our bodies
— his body — I've never even seen ... all of him. Oh dear. Oh dear. What am I going to do?
It was at this poin t where magazine articles, Doris Day films and her mother went silent. There's something wrong going on here, but what?
A hand shook Janet's should er. 'Janet? Janet? Are you OK?' It was Nickie, and Janet was back in the Peabody hotel.
'I'm fine. Please. Fine.' 'Are you sure?'
Janet looked at Nickie. Any hostili ty she'd been harboring against the woman had left. 'Sure.'
Both women then heard footsteps coming close to them -cowboy boo ts on marble: Wade walked around the corner, righ t into Janet and Nickie's table, obviously expecting neither of them. 'Oh — hi — I . . .'
'Hello, Wade.'
'Nickie. Hey. I—'
Janet said, 'Relax. Sit down with us.' 'Why? What's up?'
'Just sit.'
'Is it news?' 'Yes, it is.' 'Bad news?'
Nickie said, 'Yes, Wade, it 's bad news.' 'It 's not . . . ?'
Nickie nodded. 'Yes, it is.'
Wade slumped down into a rattan chair. 'Shit. Sorry. What can I—' Wade suddenly looked at his mother, but something else was now in his eyes.
Something is wrong.
Wade reached over to her with a napkin. ' Mom—' 'What? What?'
'You're doing a Dracula all over your shir t. Don' t panic. It 'll clean up just fine.'
'I'm bleeding?' Janet reached for another napkin and blo tted her chest, pulling the cloth, which evidenced a fair amoun t of blood coming from her mou th. 'Oh dear.'
' Mom,' Wade said, 'I'm going to check you into this hotel and then I'm going to go get your things at your motel, OK?'
Janet felt confused. 'Yes, dear. Yes. Of course.'
'Don' t worry. Things are going to be just fine. Can you stand up? There. Stand up. I'll take you up to my room and you can lie down there. Things'll be just fine. Just you wait and see.'
They walked toward the elevators, Nickie carrying some extra napkins, which she handed to Wade. Janet and Wade got in and Nickie said, 'I'll call you later, Janet.' The door closed.
07
Wade put Janet to rest on the bed in his room, and then grabbed the keys to the sedan rented with Beth's credit card. He went downstairs only to find that Sarah, the sick childr en and the crowd had all
vanished. The media trucks were just pulling away, their wires snapped in as crisply as if into a measuring tape's chromed handle. But some of his family was still there — Bryan and Shw were in the throes of a
figh t -ostensibly over a set of car keys, which Bryan apparently wouldn ' t give up. The other guests in the lobby were unable to ignor e the embarrassing set-to, and Wade tried to skulk past them, but he was
noticed. Shw loudl y said, 'Ha! Your bro ther'll drive me.' 'No, he won' t.'
Wade didn ' t want to get involved. 'I'm looking for Beth.' He realized he was dangling the car's keys.
'She went out shopping ,' said Bryan.
'I hope she doesn' t spend much,' Wade said. 'We're flat broke.' 'Wade, give me a ride,' Shw said.
'I'm only going to pick up Mom's stuff at that shitbox motel she's staying in. She should be here with us.' 'How is Mom?' Bryan asked. 'I ask her all the time, and she always says she's " just fine", which is
completely suspicious.'
'Bryan,' said Shw, 'she's got aids. She is not " fine". Some sons you tw o are. You should be laying flowers at her
'Ciao then,' and off she sauntered. Ciao? What on earth does that mean? Janet felt like the one bird left behind after the rest of the flock had migrated. She couldn ' t shake the feeling, and when Ted propo sed in a Hungarian restaurant on the next Friday nigh t, she accepted. For the mon ths prior to the wedding ,
not a day passed withou t moments of remorse, as though she'd spent all of her carefully saved money on a dress she had no place to wear. But Ted's so handsome and mysterious! But what have I done? I barely know the man. What if he snores? What if we don' t get along? What if —
The next what-if was hard to even think of, let alone put into words, the what-if of the flesh. Our bodies
— his body — I've never even seen ... all of him. Oh dear. Oh dear. What am I going to do?
It was at this poin t where magazine articles, Doris Day films and her mother went silent. There's something wrong going on here, but what?
A hand shook Janet's should er. 'Janet? Janet? Are you OK?' It was Nickie, and Janet was back in the Peabody hotel.
'I'm fine. Please. Fine.' 'Are you sure?'
Janet looked at Nickie. Any hostili ty she'd been harboring against the woman had left. 'Sure.'
Both women then heard footsteps coming close to them -cowboy boo ts on marble: Wade walked around the corner, righ t into Janet and Nickie's table, obviously expecting neither of them. 'Oh — hi — I . . .'
'Hello, Wade.'
'Nickie. Hey. I—'
Janet said, 'Relax. Sit down with us.' 'Why? What's up?'
'Just sit.'
'Is it news?' 'Yes, it is.' 'Bad news?'
Nickie said, 'Yes, Wade, it 's bad news.' 'It 's not . . . ?'
Nickie nodded. 'Yes, it is.'
Wade slumped down into a rattan chair. 'Shit. Sorry. What can I—' Wade suddenly looked at his mother, but something else was now in his eyes.
Something is wrong.
Wade reached over to her with a napkin. ' Mom—' 'What? What?'
'You're doing a Dracula all over your shir t. Don' t panic. It 'll clean up just fine.'
'I'm bleeding?' Janet reached for another napkin and blo tted her chest, pulling the cloth, which evidenced a fair amoun t of blood coming from her mou th. 'Oh dear.'
' Mom,' Wade said, 'I'm going to check you into this hotel and then I'm going to go get your things at your motel, OK?'
Janet felt confused. 'Yes, dear. Yes. Of course.'
'Don' t worry. Things are going to be just fine. Can you stand up? There. Stand up. I'll take you up to my room and you can lie down there. Things'll be just fine. Just you wait and see.'
They walked toward the elevators, Nickie carrying some extra napkins, which she handed to Wade. Janet and Wade got in and Nickie said, 'I'll call you later, Janet.' The door closed.
07
Wade put Janet to rest on the bed in his room, and then grabbed the keys to the sedan rented with Beth's credit card. He went downstairs only to find that Sarah, the sick childr en and the crowd had all
vanished. The media trucks were just pulling away, their wires snapped in as crisply as if into a measuring tape's chromed handle. But some of his family was still there — Bryan and Shw were in the throes of a
figh t -ostensibly over a set of car keys, which Bryan apparently wouldn ' t give up. The other guests in the lobby were unable to ignor e the embarrassing set-to, and Wade tried to skulk past them, but he was
noticed. Shw loudl y said, 'Ha! Your bro ther'll drive me.' 'No, he won' t.'
Wade didn ' t want to get involved. 'I'm looking for Beth.' He realized he was dangling the car's keys.
'She went out shopping ,' said Bryan.
'I hope she doesn' t spend much,' Wade said. 'We're flat broke.' 'Wade, give me a ride,' Shw said.
'I'm only going to pick up Mom's stuff at that shitbox motel she's staying in. She should be here with us.' 'How is Mom?' Bryan asked. 'I ask her all the time, and she always says she's " just fine", which is
completely suspicious.'
'Bryan,' said Shw, 'she's got aids. She is not " fine". Some sons you tw o are. You should be laying flowers at her
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