— May not be a tomorrow, we're right down to the wire here, the judge sitting on those papers right now. It's real simple Oscar. You take their settlement and I'll pick up the phone. You want to go on with it, we'll hold our breath for the decision.
— Then I, I'll hold my breath.
— Hey!
— Oscar you're, do you know what you're…
— I know what I'm doing Christina. I'm going on with it.
— Hey, Oscar! and a clap on the sagging shoulder there, — that's it!
— My God. Wait, I'll see you to the door Mister Basic. I just hope you're right, I know you've worked awfully hard on it and, and I know you're not foolish. Harry's told me you're very much in demand.
— How's he doing?
— Harry? If he comes through this case alive I suppose he can come through anything.
— You want to see legal bills take a look at those. Thanks Mrs Lutz, you give him my best?
— Yes and, thank you… She stood there until the slur of tires on the gravel turned her back into the house and that lunch — and Ilse? That Pinot Grigio, bring it in to the table, did you hear me? And over the cold corn soup, — what's this floating in it. You don't plan to hoard that whole bottle of wine over there do you? I only hope your Mister Basic is as brilliant as Harry thinks he is oh, they're scallops aren't they, I mean if you have anything left once you've paid his bar bills buying drinks for his old buddies at the Beverly Wilshire? and over the carrots — you can start thinking about that seventy five hundred dollars for that ambulance chaser that blonde plaything of yours dug up I'm sure you still give her money? over the poached salmon — her divorce is probably as far off as ever thank God let me have the salt, I mean I hope she didn't find these new lawyers you've got that you're so secretive about, and the wine please? Of course it was quite senseless of that law clerk of Father's taking him to the movies in the first place but it may all blow over when you lose your lawsuit which Mister Basic seems to be planning on but I mean that should convince them that your play wasn't worth anyone bothering to steal so it's all just as well isn't it? her chair scraping the floor as she pushed the emptied wine bottle aside — here, let me help you. You're aware that you're putting on weight aren't you, whatever these rubdowns this woman is giving you if that's the word for it, handling things I won't ask exactly what it is she's handling but your body really never has been your friend has it, because you never learned to play. I mean you never really learned to play did you.
— To play what! he muttered, making their way back to the empty room already falling into shadows.
— No I mean, I just meant like other boys with…
— What other boys! You mean out playing baseball? There were no other boys, I used to play all the time I didn't need other boys, right down there by the pond I used to play all the time didn't I? By the shores of Gitche Gumee?
— Stood the wigwam of Nokomis, my God no I didn't mean that, where she stood now looking out over the pond, looking out where dark beyond it ose the black and gloomy pine trees and the firs with cones upon them — it was all just too heartbreaking, by the shining Big-Sea-Water where a tall and stately birch tree once had rustled in the breezes, where he'd cleft its bark asunder just beneath the lowest branches, just above the roots he'd cut it down the trunk from top to bottom, stripped away the bark unbroken for the birch canoe he'd made there puffed with pride at his achievement turning turtle when he'd launched it, filled with terror when his father saw the great birch torn and naked till its sap came oozing outward and the swift Cheemaun for sailing floating upside down and sideways through the reeds and tangled beach grass come to rest there in the mud — and it should have been a warning that you could never please Father.
Out there now the rising west wind rushed the surface of the pond toward the sea like a spring freshet, a flash flood, — look! he whispered, — how it's tossing up the branches of the pine trees like some wild saturnalia, flinging up their skirts all lust and rapine ravished like the Sabine women, like the…
— Like the beautiful Wenonah. I think it's a time for Hiawatha's nap, I'm going up for a bath. I mean if there's any hot water of course.
Dark had taken the trees and the torn surface of the pond out there by the time she came down where bursts of colours dancing across his face from the illumination of the screen belittled its repose till the sound of his name restored all its accumulated anxiety in an instant, in the blink of an eye caught up in a wince. — What?
— I said are you awake? what on earth are you watching? and a voice from the screen obliged her with 'a sea anemone which looks like a harmless flower but is in reality a carnivorous animal.'
— It's my nature program he told her, slouching almost upright.
— You do have curious tastes don't you, she came turning on lights. — Has Harry called? And when it finally rang — We're fine, did you get to that new doctor? Well whatever you call him, you… I know that Harry but you've simply got to make time, if you don't you're going to end up like… that's exactly what I mean, he's sitting right here waiting for the evening news to whet his appetite for supper, I mean I can't take care of both of you can I? Scenes of mayhem from Londonderry to Chandigarh, an overweight family rowing down main street in a freak flood in Ohio, a molasses truck overturned on the Jersey Turnpike, gunfire, stabbings, flaming police cars and blazing ambulances celebrating a league basketball championship in Detroit interspersed with a decrepit grinning couple on a bed that warped and heaved at the touch of a button — because they offered him a settlement Harry, almost a quarter million dollars but of course he insists on going ahead with the case or rather Mister Basic does, he was out here for… what? The Stars and Bars unfurled in a hail of rocks and beer cans showering the guttering remnants of a candlelight vigil — but if you can just try to be patient with her Harry, you know her mother just died and she's been in an awful state trying to… to what? Oscar will you turn that down! that now she wants you to help her break her mother's will? I don't see what… well they never really got on after her mother was converted by that wildeyed Bishop Sheed was it? a million years ago convincing her that it was more exclusive with Clare Luce and all that after the wads of money she'd been giving St Bartholomew's with these millions of Catholics jamming every slum you can think of if you call that exclusive, she…
— Look! Christina look! Placards brandishing KEEP GOD IN AMERICA, MURDERER — come quickly! and caught in the emergency vehicles' floodlights towering over it all the jagged thrust of — that, that Szyrk thing that, look!
— I'll talk to you later Harry, something's going on. What in God's name…
— It was struck by lightning and the dog, they said it killed the dog that's what all those candles…
— Well thank God for that.
— No but look at them look at the, that sign that little girl was carrying that said murderer that's Father, they said that was Father they, look! Did you see that? The effigy swung back into view and away to reveal a collision between a hot dog cart and a sandwich board purveyor of novelty flags, Spot dolls, keychains, T shirts bearing the Spot logo blazoned beyond on chests and unrestrained breastworks engulfing a frail girl whose meager bosom cautioned You may play with my dog but leave my pussy alone abruptly swept away by PROCHOICE, IT'S MY BODY, ART IS FILTH, a siren's wail and a bullhorn exhorting Go home now, youall uns just go home, hear? BLACK PRIDE, THE LAVENDER COALITION, SMOKE WHITE OWLS, HE MARKS THE SPAROWS FALL as the camera nosed its way through the streaming candles for a jarring glimpse of fur wadded there in a spotlit glare broken off in the shadow of the effigy swinging closer, close enough to read MURDERER JUDGE THYSELF pinned to its robes — because he called it an act of God, the lightning, that's what they said, that's the candlelight vigil.