had a tetanus shot since you ran that piece of the gutter through your hand ten years ago.”
“Do you think the dog had any rusty metal in its mouth?”
“Neddy never goes to the hospital,” Kay said, making her voice sound uncannily like Taffy’s.
“Ned pours a single-malt scotch into the holes and calls it a day,” Tom said. “But I’m no Ned.”
Kay wanted to come along and said she would call Trey and break their lunch date, but I talked her out of it. It was clear that Tom was going to live, and I didn’t think there was any reason for all three of us to watch him get a tetanus shot. Besides, I wanted a minute alone with Tom. What with the impendingmarriage-divorce doubleheader, I had a feeling that time alone was going to be harder to get.
“Come back to work after lunch,” Tom said to Kay.
“When you get to the hospital, tell them you don’t know whether or not Stamp has rabies,” Kay said, helping me walk Tom out to the car, one of us on each side. “Then the Department of Animal Control will come and take him away. And you know if they take Stamp away, they’ll have to take Aunt Taffy, too.” She kissed her father and wished us luck, then she got into her own car and drove away.
“See if you can’t get your leg up on the dashboard,” I said to Tom. “I think you’re supposed to elevate it.”
The car was a little too small or Tom was a little too big. It took a good deal of effort for him to hoist his leg up onto the dash.
“So,” Tom said. “Let’s go back to my entrance, just before the part with the dog: I come into the house and I find the three of you on the floor crying.”
“Oh, Taffy told Kay about the divorce and Kay told Taffy she was getting married. It was a little emotional.”
“I thought you might have been crying over the size of her suitcase.”
“It occurred to me.”
“Tell me Stamp sleeps in the suitcase.”
“I think Stamp sleeps in our bed and we sleep in the suitcase, but I’m just guessing. Why did you come home, anyway?”
“I called over to the school to talk to you, and George told me you’d gone home to meet Taffy. I’m not in court until after lunch, so I thought I’d come by, lend a little moral support.”
“Lend a chunk of your leg.” I turned down the street that would take us to the hospital.
“Anything for the cause.” Tom readjusted his knee into a better position. “It’s not like I was bitten by a rottweiler. Do you really think we need to go?”
“Just for a minute.”
Tom sighed. “To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for Taffy. You get to be this age, you think everything is pretty much settled. It would be a hell of a thing to have to rethink your whole life at this point.”
I reached over the gearshift and took my husband’s hand. I agreed with him. It would be a hell of a thing.
W E WERE TOLD that there would be no need for stitches, that puncture wounds needed to heal from the bottom rather than the top, a thought that made me feel squeamish. After the shot and a thoroughly unpleasant application of Betadine and antibiotic ointment, a bandage was applied and I drove Tom back to the courthouse. I thought we should at least go by the house so that he could get another suit, but he couldn’t be late for court. “I’ll put some tape on the inside,” he said. “No one is going to be looking at my ankles.”
“I look at your ankles all the time.”
“Thank God Stamp didn’t bite you. At least I can still work with a couple of holes in my leg.”
“You’d sacrifice your leg for mine?”
“Any day.”
It was the sign of a good man. “Call me when you’re ready to come home.”
Tom shook his head. “Kay can give me a ride.”
I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to make it count. A person had to be diligent about kissing. Kissing was the affirmation of theunion, the secret handshake that identified its members. And even knowing how important it was, it was easy to let it slide altogether, and
“Do you think the dog had any rusty metal in its mouth?”
“Neddy never goes to the hospital,” Kay said, making her voice sound uncannily like Taffy’s.
“Ned pours a single-malt scotch into the holes and calls it a day,” Tom said. “But I’m no Ned.”
Kay wanted to come along and said she would call Trey and break their lunch date, but I talked her out of it. It was clear that Tom was going to live, and I didn’t think there was any reason for all three of us to watch him get a tetanus shot. Besides, I wanted a minute alone with Tom. What with the impendingmarriage-divorce doubleheader, I had a feeling that time alone was going to be harder to get.
“Come back to work after lunch,” Tom said to Kay.
“When you get to the hospital, tell them you don’t know whether or not Stamp has rabies,” Kay said, helping me walk Tom out to the car, one of us on each side. “Then the Department of Animal Control will come and take him away. And you know if they take Stamp away, they’ll have to take Aunt Taffy, too.” She kissed her father and wished us luck, then she got into her own car and drove away.
“See if you can’t get your leg up on the dashboard,” I said to Tom. “I think you’re supposed to elevate it.”
The car was a little too small or Tom was a little too big. It took a good deal of effort for him to hoist his leg up onto the dash.
“So,” Tom said. “Let’s go back to my entrance, just before the part with the dog: I come into the house and I find the three of you on the floor crying.”
“Oh, Taffy told Kay about the divorce and Kay told Taffy she was getting married. It was a little emotional.”
“I thought you might have been crying over the size of her suitcase.”
“It occurred to me.”
“Tell me Stamp sleeps in the suitcase.”
“I think Stamp sleeps in our bed and we sleep in the suitcase, but I’m just guessing. Why did you come home, anyway?”
“I called over to the school to talk to you, and George told me you’d gone home to meet Taffy. I’m not in court until after lunch, so I thought I’d come by, lend a little moral support.”
“Lend a chunk of your leg.” I turned down the street that would take us to the hospital.
“Anything for the cause.” Tom readjusted his knee into a better position. “It’s not like I was bitten by a rottweiler. Do you really think we need to go?”
“Just for a minute.”
Tom sighed. “To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for Taffy. You get to be this age, you think everything is pretty much settled. It would be a hell of a thing to have to rethink your whole life at this point.”
I reached over the gearshift and took my husband’s hand. I agreed with him. It would be a hell of a thing.
W E WERE TOLD that there would be no need for stitches, that puncture wounds needed to heal from the bottom rather than the top, a thought that made me feel squeamish. After the shot and a thoroughly unpleasant application of Betadine and antibiotic ointment, a bandage was applied and I drove Tom back to the courthouse. I thought we should at least go by the house so that he could get another suit, but he couldn’t be late for court. “I’ll put some tape on the inside,” he said. “No one is going to be looking at my ankles.”
“I look at your ankles all the time.”
“Thank God Stamp didn’t bite you. At least I can still work with a couple of holes in my leg.”
“You’d sacrifice your leg for mine?”
“Any day.”
It was the sign of a good man. “Call me when you’re ready to come home.”
Tom shook his head. “Kay can give me a ride.”
I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to make it count. A person had to be diligent about kissing. Kissing was the affirmation of theunion, the secret handshake that identified its members. And even knowing how important it was, it was easy to let it slide altogether, and
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