this.”
“No, Mom, it was okay. We had to do it. We were really stuck and only Uncle Jack could drive the boat.”
“You wouldn’t be much good as a baseball player if you lost a leg to a shark.”
“There was a pitcher with the White Sox who only had one leg. I saw a movie about him. I think he lost it in a war.”
“Roy, is this true?”
“Honest, Mom. He pitched on a wooden leg. I don’t know how many times, but he did it.”
“That’s incredible. A person really can do just about anything if he works hard at it.”
“When I find out what I want to do, I’ll work really hard at it.”
“After baseball, you mean.”
“Yeah, after baseball Mom?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Do you think Skip and I were really dumb to get back in the water? What if the shark had come up from underneath to bite us?”
“Please, Roy, even if there was a one-legged baseball player, I don’t want to think about it.”
The Up and Up
W HY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME DAD was going to die?”
“Oh, baby, I didn’t know he would die. I mean, everyone dies sooner or later, but we couldn’t know he would die this soon.”
“Dad wasn’t old.”
“No, Roy, he was forty-eight. Too young.”
“I didn’t know he was in the hospital again.”
“We talked to him just after he went back in, don’t you remember?”
“I forgot.”
“Your dad really loved you, Roy, more than anything.”
“He didn’t sound sick, that’s why I didn’t remember he was in the hospital.”
“It’s a shame he died, baby, really a shame.”
“After he came home from the hospital the first time, after his operation, Phil Sharky told me Dad was too tough to die.”
“Phil Sharky’s not a person worth listening to about anything. I’m sure he meant well telling you that, but he’s the kind of man who if you ask him to turn off a light only knows how to break the lamp.”
“What does that mean, Mom?”
“I mean Phil Sharky can’t be trusted. You can’t believe a word he says. If he says it’s Tuesday, you can get fat betting it’s Friday. Phil Sharky’s a crooked cop who doesn’t play straight with anyone.”
“I thought he was Dad’s friend.”
“Look how dark the sky’s getting, Roy, and it’s only two o’clock. If we’re lucky, we’ll make it to Asheville before the rain hits. I thought we’d stay at the Dixieland Hotel It has the prettiest views of the Smokies.”
“Phil Sharky gave me his gun to hold once* It was really heavy. He said to be careful because it was loaded.”
“Was your dad there?”
“No, he went out with Dummy Fish and left me at the store. He told me he’d be right back. I asked Phil if the gun wouldn’t weigh so much if there weren’t any bullets in it and he said if they went where they were supposed to it wouldn’t.”
“Baby, you won’t ever see Phil Sharky again if I have anything to do with it. Did you tell your dad about this? That Phil let you handle his gun?”
“Dad didn’t get back for a long time and I fell asleep on the newspaper bundles. When I woke up, Phil was gone and Dad and Dummy and I went to Charmette’s for pancakes. I remember because Solly Banks was there and he came over to our table and said I was a lucky kid to have the kind of father who’d take me out for pancakes at four in the morning.”
“Suitcase Solly, another character who couldn’t tell the up and up if it bit him. So your dad didn’t know Sharky showed you the gun?”.
“Phil told me not to say anything to Dad, in case he wouldn’t like the idea, so I didn’t.”
“We’re not gonna beat the rain, baby, but we’ll get there while there’s still light. Tomorrow we’ll fly to Chicago. The funeral’s on Sunday.”
“Will everyone be there?”
“I don’t know about everyone, but your dad knew a lot of people. Most of the ones who come will want to talk to you.”
“Even people I don’t know?”
“Probably, All you have to do is thank them for paying their respects to your
“No, Mom, it was okay. We had to do it. We were really stuck and only Uncle Jack could drive the boat.”
“You wouldn’t be much good as a baseball player if you lost a leg to a shark.”
“There was a pitcher with the White Sox who only had one leg. I saw a movie about him. I think he lost it in a war.”
“Roy, is this true?”
“Honest, Mom. He pitched on a wooden leg. I don’t know how many times, but he did it.”
“That’s incredible. A person really can do just about anything if he works hard at it.”
“When I find out what I want to do, I’ll work really hard at it.”
“After baseball, you mean.”
“Yeah, after baseball Mom?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Do you think Skip and I were really dumb to get back in the water? What if the shark had come up from underneath to bite us?”
“Please, Roy, even if there was a one-legged baseball player, I don’t want to think about it.”
The Up and Up
W HY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME DAD was going to die?”
“Oh, baby, I didn’t know he would die. I mean, everyone dies sooner or later, but we couldn’t know he would die this soon.”
“Dad wasn’t old.”
“No, Roy, he was forty-eight. Too young.”
“I didn’t know he was in the hospital again.”
“We talked to him just after he went back in, don’t you remember?”
“I forgot.”
“Your dad really loved you, Roy, more than anything.”
“He didn’t sound sick, that’s why I didn’t remember he was in the hospital.”
“It’s a shame he died, baby, really a shame.”
“After he came home from the hospital the first time, after his operation, Phil Sharky told me Dad was too tough to die.”
“Phil Sharky’s not a person worth listening to about anything. I’m sure he meant well telling you that, but he’s the kind of man who if you ask him to turn off a light only knows how to break the lamp.”
“What does that mean, Mom?”
“I mean Phil Sharky can’t be trusted. You can’t believe a word he says. If he says it’s Tuesday, you can get fat betting it’s Friday. Phil Sharky’s a crooked cop who doesn’t play straight with anyone.”
“I thought he was Dad’s friend.”
“Look how dark the sky’s getting, Roy, and it’s only two o’clock. If we’re lucky, we’ll make it to Asheville before the rain hits. I thought we’d stay at the Dixieland Hotel It has the prettiest views of the Smokies.”
“Phil Sharky gave me his gun to hold once* It was really heavy. He said to be careful because it was loaded.”
“Was your dad there?”
“No, he went out with Dummy Fish and left me at the store. He told me he’d be right back. I asked Phil if the gun wouldn’t weigh so much if there weren’t any bullets in it and he said if they went where they were supposed to it wouldn’t.”
“Baby, you won’t ever see Phil Sharky again if I have anything to do with it. Did you tell your dad about this? That Phil let you handle his gun?”
“Dad didn’t get back for a long time and I fell asleep on the newspaper bundles. When I woke up, Phil was gone and Dad and Dummy and I went to Charmette’s for pancakes. I remember because Solly Banks was there and he came over to our table and said I was a lucky kid to have the kind of father who’d take me out for pancakes at four in the morning.”
“Suitcase Solly, another character who couldn’t tell the up and up if it bit him. So your dad didn’t know Sharky showed you the gun?”.
“Phil told me not to say anything to Dad, in case he wouldn’t like the idea, so I didn’t.”
“We’re not gonna beat the rain, baby, but we’ll get there while there’s still light. Tomorrow we’ll fly to Chicago. The funeral’s on Sunday.”
“Will everyone be there?”
“I don’t know about everyone, but your dad knew a lot of people. Most of the ones who come will want to talk to you.”
“Even people I don’t know?”
“Probably, All you have to do is thank them for paying their respects to your
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