Naked Came the Stranger by Penelope Ashe, Mike McGrady
Authors: Penelope Ashe, Mike McGrady
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start getting organized."
" Children! " Morton was shouting now. "How in the hell can
two people have children when they don't even sleep together?"
"Sex maniac!" she screamed.
"Damn right!"
"If that's all that being married means to you," she said, "then
we have one beautiful relationship."
"Oh, shit!"
"All you want is my body," she went on. "What about building a
life together, a home for our…?"
"Shit, shit, shit!" The deep end. "Screw a life together. Screw
the home. Screw your body."
"I'm not listening to you," she said.
"Goodbye," he said.
The dream returned then. The neat, always tidy bachelor apartment.
The predecorated, regularly cleaned, air-conditioned, bachelor
apartment. The stereo set, the sleep-in guests, Gillian Blake. And
Morton Earbrow knew what must be done. He walked up the freshly
finished stairs, entered the recently papered bedroom, shoved aside
his work clothes, jammed his suits and shirts into two suitcases. And
left.
A week later he made the phone call. "Gillian?"
"Morton," she said.
"What's doing?"
"What's doing with you?" she said. "Where are you?"
"I've got this great new pad," Morton said, "here on 66th Street.
You can see the East River right behind the smokestacks."
"That sounds great," Gillian said. "Where's Gloria?"
"Gloria who?" he said. "Hey, you've got to drop up here after the
show. I'll show you the East River. I'll show you my etchings."
"You mean it's all over with Gloria?" she said.
"It never was with Gloria," he said. "How about…?"
"Goodbye," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"Goodbye," she said.
Click. Morton Earbrow felt the phone go dead in his hand. He stood
there, looking beyond the smokestacks at the East River. He was aware
of the mechanical hum of the air conditioner, and the room seemed
suddenly cold. Morton Earbrow, a do-it-yourselfer with nothing to do,
spent the next hour listening to his new FM radio. He mixed himself
two martinis. He changed the linen on his new bed. And it was not
until late that night that he began constructing a small and somewhat
crude wine rack out of coat hangers and an orange crate. It was hard
going, mainly because he didn't have the proper tools.
Before retiring for the night he wrote himself a note:
"Buy new drill on way to work."
EXCERPT FROM "THE BILLY & GILLY SHOW, OCTOBER 27TH
Gilly: Say, Billy, did you see the newspaper
stories about the special religious service that's planned for our
own King's Neck?
Billy: You mean at the Jewish temple?
Gilly: Yes, where they're going to feature a rock 'n' roll
group.
Billy: Wild.
Gilly: I know, it's too fascinating. I've heard about using
jazz as part of the liturgy, but rock 'n' roll! To say the least,
that's a bit different.
Billy: Of course, the rabbi there, Rabbi Joshua Turnbull, is
well known as an innovator.
Gilly: He's a comparatively young man, too.
Billy: You know, he might make an interesting guest. Gilly:
Yes, I think he would be extremely interesting. I've never drawn out
a rabbi before.
JOSHUA TURNBULL
It was too simple, too easy. Ernie Miklos…
Morton Earbrow… Gillian, weary of automatic conquests, was
tempted to abandon her plan. What was needed at this juncture was a
challenge. Something that would permit her to test her mettle.
Joshua Turnbull, spiritual leader of the tiny Jewish community in
King's Neck, had in recent months become a figure of modest
controversy. It began when he announced plans to amplify a Friday
night service the following month with a rock 'n' roll group known as
"Jonah and the Wails." It was this announcement that qualified the
rabbi for a guest appearance on the Billy & Gilly Show. And the rabbi's public relations man had said Rabbi Turnbull would be
delighted to come.
So it was that William Blake – philanderer, cuckold and
moderator – looked on naïvely that Monday morning as
Gillian hoisted sail. Rabbi Turnbull was difficult from the outset.
Not only was he oblivious to Gillian's charm, he even seemed unaware
of her
" Children! " Morton was shouting now. "How in the hell can
two people have children when they don't even sleep together?"
"Sex maniac!" she screamed.
"Damn right!"
"If that's all that being married means to you," she said, "then
we have one beautiful relationship."
"Oh, shit!"
"All you want is my body," she went on. "What about building a
life together, a home for our…?"
"Shit, shit, shit!" The deep end. "Screw a life together. Screw
the home. Screw your body."
"I'm not listening to you," she said.
"Goodbye," he said.
The dream returned then. The neat, always tidy bachelor apartment.
The predecorated, regularly cleaned, air-conditioned, bachelor
apartment. The stereo set, the sleep-in guests, Gillian Blake. And
Morton Earbrow knew what must be done. He walked up the freshly
finished stairs, entered the recently papered bedroom, shoved aside
his work clothes, jammed his suits and shirts into two suitcases. And
left.
A week later he made the phone call. "Gillian?"
"Morton," she said.
"What's doing?"
"What's doing with you?" she said. "Where are you?"
"I've got this great new pad," Morton said, "here on 66th Street.
You can see the East River right behind the smokestacks."
"That sounds great," Gillian said. "Where's Gloria?"
"Gloria who?" he said. "Hey, you've got to drop up here after the
show. I'll show you the East River. I'll show you my etchings."
"You mean it's all over with Gloria?" she said.
"It never was with Gloria," he said. "How about…?"
"Goodbye," she said.
"What do you mean?"
"Goodbye," she said.
Click. Morton Earbrow felt the phone go dead in his hand. He stood
there, looking beyond the smokestacks at the East River. He was aware
of the mechanical hum of the air conditioner, and the room seemed
suddenly cold. Morton Earbrow, a do-it-yourselfer with nothing to do,
spent the next hour listening to his new FM radio. He mixed himself
two martinis. He changed the linen on his new bed. And it was not
until late that night that he began constructing a small and somewhat
crude wine rack out of coat hangers and an orange crate. It was hard
going, mainly because he didn't have the proper tools.
Before retiring for the night he wrote himself a note:
"Buy new drill on way to work."
EXCERPT FROM "THE BILLY & GILLY SHOW, OCTOBER 27TH
Gilly: Say, Billy, did you see the newspaper
stories about the special religious service that's planned for our
own King's Neck?
Billy: You mean at the Jewish temple?
Gilly: Yes, where they're going to feature a rock 'n' roll
group.
Billy: Wild.
Gilly: I know, it's too fascinating. I've heard about using
jazz as part of the liturgy, but rock 'n' roll! To say the least,
that's a bit different.
Billy: Of course, the rabbi there, Rabbi Joshua Turnbull, is
well known as an innovator.
Gilly: He's a comparatively young man, too.
Billy: You know, he might make an interesting guest. Gilly:
Yes, I think he would be extremely interesting. I've never drawn out
a rabbi before.
JOSHUA TURNBULL
It was too simple, too easy. Ernie Miklos…
Morton Earbrow… Gillian, weary of automatic conquests, was
tempted to abandon her plan. What was needed at this juncture was a
challenge. Something that would permit her to test her mettle.
Joshua Turnbull, spiritual leader of the tiny Jewish community in
King's Neck, had in recent months become a figure of modest
controversy. It began when he announced plans to amplify a Friday
night service the following month with a rock 'n' roll group known as
"Jonah and the Wails." It was this announcement that qualified the
rabbi for a guest appearance on the Billy & Gilly Show. And the rabbi's public relations man had said Rabbi Turnbull would be
delighted to come.
So it was that William Blake – philanderer, cuckold and
moderator – looked on naïvely that Monday morning as
Gillian hoisted sail. Rabbi Turnbull was difficult from the outset.
Not only was he oblivious to Gillian's charm, he even seemed unaware
of her
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