of the sleeves fell off.
“Tricia thought the house looked pretty good, considering,” Milo said, now out of bed and getting dressed.
“No thanks to you,” I shot back. “You turned me into a household drudge while I was in your so-called protective custody. The only thing I refused to do was wash your damned windows.”
“Hey, I fed you,” he said, taking out a plaid shirt from the closet where he’d already stashed some of his clothes.
“I cooked,” I reminded him, seeing the clock on my bedside table. “Oh! It’s almost seven! I’ll make drinks while you turn on Vida’s show.”
I’d poured Milo’s Scotch and was reaching for my Canadian Club when the sheriff ambled out to the living room and turned on the radio. Spence’s recorded intro was just concluding. Vida began with an apology.
“Dear friends and neighbors, I know some of you expected me to host my nephew, Ross Blatt, the owner of Alpine Appliance & Repair, but alas, poor Ross came down with the flu this afternoon. Instead, I have another nephew, Ross’s brother, Ronnie Blatt, one of our fine volunteer firefighters when he’s not working his UPS job. Tell me, Ronnie, what’s the most unusual parcel you’ve ever delivered on your route?”
“A baby,” Ronnie said. “A ten-pound, two-ounce boy to the Vanderburts on Second Hill.”
“Good God,” Milo muttered. “That was five years ago.”
“Seven,” I said, sitting on the sofa across from where Milo had parked himself in the easy chair. “They moved not long after that.”
“It must be fascinating,” Vida went on, “to bring other bundles of joy to our listeners. Do tell us some of your other happy memories.”
“Well …” Ronnie paused. “Grace Grundle’s always excited when I deliver new cat toys for her menagerie. Averill Fairbanks was pretty pumped when I brought his new UFO-sighting glasses last month, though he complained about the cloudy weather. Oh, Coach Ridley was relieved when the new Bucker basketball uniforms arrived before the season started. Only problem was they were for girls, so he had to send them back. The high school doesn’t have a girls’ team except for P.E.”
“More’s the pity,” Vida said. “I heard the boys’ team did get theirs.”
I saw Milo holding his head and knew what was coming next.
“Right,” Ronnie replied, “but they were for fifth and sixth graders. Coach is still waiting.”
“A manufacturer’s problem,” Vida said. “Not buying locally, but that can’t always be helped. We have so many fine merchants in Alpine, and we’ll now let them tell you about their latest outstanding products.”
“Holy crap,” Milo said, shaking his head, “this is the worst bullshit Vida’s put on in months. Why doesn’t she ask Ron about his volunteer firefighting? He’s been doing that for longer than he’s worked for UPS.”
“You’re right. But if Ross cancelled, Vida didn’t have much notice.”
Milo took a quick swig of his drink before getting a pack of Marlboro Lights out of his shirt pocket. “You want one?”
“Please. You’re a bad influence, Dodge.”
“Come and get it. You can sit on my lap. That’ll make the rest of the show more tolerable.”
I obliged the sheriff, though I left my drink on the end table. The second half of
Cupboard
was no better than the first—except forRonnie’s final response to Vida’s query about how much he liked his job.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Good benefits, nice people, decent hours. But I’d really like to be a full-time firefighter. The county has only two regulars because they can’t afford to pay for more help. That’s a shame, and not just for me personally.”
“That’s a … remarkable statement,” Vida said, uncharacteristically taken aback. “Thank you, Ronnie. You’ve delivered food for thought.” She signed off, followed by the sound of the cupboard door closing.
“Good for Ronnie,” Milo said, squeezing my waist. “Doc Dewey and I
“Tricia thought the house looked pretty good, considering,” Milo said, now out of bed and getting dressed.
“No thanks to you,” I shot back. “You turned me into a household drudge while I was in your so-called protective custody. The only thing I refused to do was wash your damned windows.”
“Hey, I fed you,” he said, taking out a plaid shirt from the closet where he’d already stashed some of his clothes.
“I cooked,” I reminded him, seeing the clock on my bedside table. “Oh! It’s almost seven! I’ll make drinks while you turn on Vida’s show.”
I’d poured Milo’s Scotch and was reaching for my Canadian Club when the sheriff ambled out to the living room and turned on the radio. Spence’s recorded intro was just concluding. Vida began with an apology.
“Dear friends and neighbors, I know some of you expected me to host my nephew, Ross Blatt, the owner of Alpine Appliance & Repair, but alas, poor Ross came down with the flu this afternoon. Instead, I have another nephew, Ross’s brother, Ronnie Blatt, one of our fine volunteer firefighters when he’s not working his UPS job. Tell me, Ronnie, what’s the most unusual parcel you’ve ever delivered on your route?”
“A baby,” Ronnie said. “A ten-pound, two-ounce boy to the Vanderburts on Second Hill.”
“Good God,” Milo muttered. “That was five years ago.”
“Seven,” I said, sitting on the sofa across from where Milo had parked himself in the easy chair. “They moved not long after that.”
“It must be fascinating,” Vida went on, “to bring other bundles of joy to our listeners. Do tell us some of your other happy memories.”
“Well …” Ronnie paused. “Grace Grundle’s always excited when I deliver new cat toys for her menagerie. Averill Fairbanks was pretty pumped when I brought his new UFO-sighting glasses last month, though he complained about the cloudy weather. Oh, Coach Ridley was relieved when the new Bucker basketball uniforms arrived before the season started. Only problem was they were for girls, so he had to send them back. The high school doesn’t have a girls’ team except for P.E.”
“More’s the pity,” Vida said. “I heard the boys’ team did get theirs.”
I saw Milo holding his head and knew what was coming next.
“Right,” Ronnie replied, “but they were for fifth and sixth graders. Coach is still waiting.”
“A manufacturer’s problem,” Vida said. “Not buying locally, but that can’t always be helped. We have so many fine merchants in Alpine, and we’ll now let them tell you about their latest outstanding products.”
“Holy crap,” Milo said, shaking his head, “this is the worst bullshit Vida’s put on in months. Why doesn’t she ask Ron about his volunteer firefighting? He’s been doing that for longer than he’s worked for UPS.”
“You’re right. But if Ross cancelled, Vida didn’t have much notice.”
Milo took a quick swig of his drink before getting a pack of Marlboro Lights out of his shirt pocket. “You want one?”
“Please. You’re a bad influence, Dodge.”
“Come and get it. You can sit on my lap. That’ll make the rest of the show more tolerable.”
I obliged the sheriff, though I left my drink on the end table. The second half of
Cupboard
was no better than the first—except forRonnie’s final response to Vida’s query about how much he liked his job.
“It’s fine,” he said. “Good benefits, nice people, decent hours. But I’d really like to be a full-time firefighter. The county has only two regulars because they can’t afford to pay for more help. That’s a shame, and not just for me personally.”
“That’s a … remarkable statement,” Vida said, uncharacteristically taken aback. “Thank you, Ronnie. You’ve delivered food for thought.” She signed off, followed by the sound of the cupboard door closing.
“Good for Ronnie,” Milo said, squeezing my waist. “Doc Dewey and I
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