The Wonders of the Invisible World by David Gates Page B

that’s nice of you to say.”
    The waitress sets their coffees down.
    “So what are these very big favors?” he says. He decides not to point out that on the phone she had said this was nothing heavy.
    “Look, I know you’re already doing me a huge favor by taking care of Deke, and I appreciate it that you’re not, like, grinding
that
into my face. Now, I didn’t want to ask you this on the phone because you don’t know who might be listening—I said
might
be, Billy. But do you think you could possibly go and clean out my apartment? Before I have to go back there?”
    “Well—I mean I
could.
But it’s kind of a trek into Boston. I’d be more than glad to pay somebody to go in there. Didn’t you use to have that woman from—”
    “Billy. I don’t mean like scrub-a-dub-dub.”
    “Oh.”
    “I can tell you exactly where everything is. And you shouldjust feel free to go ahead and use it if you want. I mean, it’s all really good, and I hate to think of it just getting flushed. Or if you’re not into it, you must still know people who like to party.”
    “Well …”
    “Oh, you look so scandalized. For God’s sake, I’m an addict, I recognize
that,
but I’m not a fucking puritan.”
    “I don’t know. Maybe
I
am. Anyway, sure. I could go take care of it next weekend. Would that be soon enough?”
    “Oh, that would be
great.
Thank you so, so much.”
    “I’ll have to figure out something to do with Deke.”
    “Why don’t you just take him along? At this point it would probably be a good idea to sort of reintroduce him to the apartment. He can watch TV or play in his room. I don’t have anything in there.”
    “Thank heaven for little mercies.”
    “Yeah, okay, I don’t need you to give me shit, Billy. I know exactly what I did.
And
didn’t do. I just need your help.”
    “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a prick. I just, I don’t know, care about him, and I get sort of protective. My motherly instinct.”
    “You mean you need to protect him from me.” She nods her head. “Okay. I had that coming. I mean, you’re absolutely right. Which kind of brings me to my other favor.”
    “Which is?”
    “Well … Just if you’d still stay involved.”
    “Involved?”
    “I mean, he’s never had a father, or really any kind of man around except for, like, people that … You know. And now that he has you, and if that’s suddenly taken away …”
    “You mean you’re going to take him back.”
    Cassie cocks her head and stares at him. “Well, what did you think?”
    “Oh. I don’t mean, I mean I always assumed that you—”
    “Did you think I was never coming out?”
    “I actually didn’t think at all, you know, in the long term. I’ve just sort of been going along day by day. How sure are you that you’ll be able to handle it?”
    “Billy,” she says. “You didn’t have it in mind to fight me on this?”
    “You mean legally?” He shrugs. “You’re his mother. I’m his faggot uncle.”
    “Oh. So you
have
been thinking about it. What are you, preparing your little court case? ‘And then she asked me to take him along while I cleaned the drugs out of her apartment.’ ”
    “Listen to yourself,” he says.
    “Why? So even
I
would have to agree that I’m an unfit mother?”
    The waitress is standing over them. “The hamburg platter?”
    Cassie points at the tabletop in front of her and the waitress sets down an oval platter. Only the top of a bun is visible among the heaping french fries.
    “BLT?”
    Billy nods. A round plate, with chips.
    “Anything else I can get you?”
    “We’re fine,” Billy says.
    “Enjoy your meal.” The waitress turns away so quickly Billy feels a breeze from her skirt.
    “You didn’t answer my question,” Cassie says.
    Billy lets the waitress get a couple of booths away. “Which one?”
    “Any question, actually. ‘How’s Deke?’ ‘He’s fine.’ ‘Will you stay involved in his life?’ ‘We’ll have to