I considered putting out the picture of the...
I considered putting out the picture of the redrobe,
then didn'tMaybe just
because it gave me the creepsI put out Hello -
the pencil sketch of the tanker - instead
Wireman came buzzing up in a bright blue golf cart
with sporty yellow pinstripingHe didn't have to
ring the bellI was at the door to meet him
"You've got a certain drawn look about you,
muchacho," he said, coming inI ain't the
doctor and this ain't the doctor's officeIf this was a building and you
were a building inspector, I wouldn't feel this
way, but-"
"But that was your other life," Wireman said
"This be your new one, where you haven't got vintage omega watches your
walking shoes broke in yet
292
"That's about the size of it
"You're damn rightSpeaking of your prior
existence, did you call your wife about that
little matter you discussed with me?"
"I didDo you want the blow-by-blow?"
"NopeAll I want to know is if you're comfortable
with the way the conversation turned out
"I haven't had a comfortable conversation with Pam
since I woke up in the hospitalBut I'm pretty
sure she'll talk to Tom
"Then I guess that'll do, pig He was
all the way in now, and looking around curiously
"I like what you've done to the place
I burst out laughingI hadn't even removed prada china the
no-smoking sign on top of the TV"I had Jack put
in a treadmill upstairs, that's newYou've been
here before, I take it?"
He gave me an enigmatic little smile"We've all
been here before, amigo - this is bigger than pro
footballPeter Straub, circa 1985
"I'm not following you
"I've been working for Miss Eastlake about sixteen
months now, with one brief and uncomfortable
diversion to StPete when the Keys were evacuated
293
for Hurricane FrankAnyway, the last people to
rent Salmon Point - pardon me, Big Pink - stayed
just two weeks of their eight-week lease and then
went boogie-bye-byeEither they didn't like the
house or gucci men bag the house didn't like them Wireman
raised ghost-hands over his head and took big
wavery ghost-steps across the light blue living
room carpetThe effect was to a large degree
spoiled by his shirt, which was covered with
tropical birds and flowers"After that, whatever
walked in Big Pinkwalked alone!"
"Shirley Jackson," I saidAnyway, Wireman was making a point, or
trying toBig Pink THEN!" He swept his arms out
in an all-encompassing gesture"Furnished in that
popular Florida style known as Twenty-First
Century Rent-A-House! Big Pink NOW! Furnished in
Twenty-First Century Rent-A-House, plus Cybex
treadmill chloe dior upstairs, and"Is that
a Lucille Ball dolly I spy sitting on the couch in
the Florida room?"
"That's Reba, the Anger-Management QueenShe was
given to me by my psychologist friend, Kramer
But that wasn't rightMy missing arm began to
294
itch madlyFor the ten thousandth time I tried to
scratch it and got my still-mending ribs instead
"Wait," I said, and looked at Reba, who was
staring out at the GulfI can do this, I thought
It's like where you put money when you want to
hide it from the government
Wireman was waiting patientlyThe one that
sometimes wanted to drawIt wanted to draw then
I thought it wanted to draw cartier tank must Wireman