“Like Vinnie,” Hawk said.
“Or Chollo,” I said.
“They do have the look,” Hawk said.
“So does Zel.”
“I keep it in mind,” Hawk said.
“Anything else?”
“Eisenhower say he don’t mind me tagging after him,” Hawk said. “Long as I don’t cramp his style.”
“Are you cramping it?”
“Not so’s I can tell,” Hawk said. “Mostly I trying to learn from it.”
“It’s good to make the most of a learning opportunity,” I said.
“He a pretty cool dude,” Hawk said. “As you honkies go.”
“He is,” I said. “Maybe he’s got some sort of natural rhythm.”
“He ain’t that cool,” Hawk said. “But he don’t seem scared. He seem like he can handle getting beat up, ain’t gonna change him.”
“He claims he’s tougher than he seems,” I said.
“Might be,” Hawk said.
“He ask you for a gun?” I said.
“Uh-huh,” Hawk said.
“And?”
“I say why you need a gun, you got me.”
“And he said?”
“I may not always have you.”
“Which is true,” I said.
“It is,” Hawk said. “So I tell him you could retire your dick for a while, or at least use it someplace else.”
“He didn’t buy that,” I said.
“Nope,” Hawk answered. “Say he fuck who he wants when he wants and he ain’t gonna change.”
“Man of principle,” I said.
“Sure,” Hawk said. “People live by worse codes.”
“And we know a lot of them,” I said.
“Where you calling from?” Hawk said. “You sound kind of echo-y.”
“ Rowes Wharf,” I said. “I’m looking at the water.”
“You on you cell phone?” Hawk said.
“I am,” I said.
“You dialed it by yo’self?” Hawk said.
“I did,” I said.
“Man, you makin’ progress,” Hawk said.
“Susan’s been helping me,” I said.
Hawk’s chuckle was very deep as he broke the connection.
Chapter 27
SUSAN AND I were in her booth in Rialto, where she always sat, because it was quiet and you could watch people come and go. We had just taken our first sip of our first drink when Hawk showed up with Gary Eisenhower.
“That’s the best you could do for a date?” I said to Hawk.
“I just the babysitter,” Hawk said. “You tole me to bring him.”
Gary put out a hand to Susan and said, “Hi, I’m Gary.”
Susan shook his hand.
“I’m Susan,” she said.
Gary slid into the banquette next to Susan. Hawk took a chair on the outside next to me.
“So,” Gary said. “This is the main squeeze?”
“Only,” I said.
“Well,” Gary said. “You going to limit yourself to one, this is a good one.”
The waiter took their drink orders and went to get them. “You are not yourself monogamous, Gary?” Susan said.
“You know I’m not,” Gary said.
“I’d heard that,” Susan said.
“Gets me in trouble sometimes,” Gary said.
“I’d heard that, too,” Susan said.
She looked at Hawk and at me.
She said, “I think you’re pretty safe tonight, however.”
“Yeah, are these guys the best? I mean the best.”
“Yes,” Susan said. “They are.”
The waiter came to announce the specials. We listened and looked at the menu and ordered. We had a second round of drinks, except Susan. After that flurry of activity, Susan turned and smiled at Gary.
“I know it’s none of my business,” she said. “But I’ll try not to let that inhibit me. Why are you so, ah, unmonogamous?”
“Unmonogamous,” Gary said. “You got a way with words, huh?”
Susan waited.
“Unmonogamous.” He laughed. “Well, I guess I’d answer why would I be unmonogamous. I mean, if you got a whole orchard full of peaches, why would you eat just one?”
Susan smiled and nodded.
“So,” Gary said, “lemme turn it around? Why would I be monogamous?”
“I’m not necessarily arguing for monogamy,” Susan said. “Just why in your case that nonmonogamy is so all-consuming.”
“No, no,” Gary said. “You didn’t answer my question, you did one of those shrink tricks, turn it back to me. First you need to answer my question.”
“Very astute of you,” Susan said. “Did you know I was a shrink?”
“No.”
“But you’ve had experience with shrinks.”
“Enough to know bullshit when I hear it,” he said. “No offense.”
“None,” Susan said.
“So. Why are you monogamous?” Gary said.
“Because unlike peaches, whose consumption is all there is-they taste good and that’s the end of it-persons have a variety of meanings and dimensions, and surprises, and feelings. I like those things, too.”
“And not sex?” Gary said. “You don’t look like somebody would not like sex.”
Susan smiled.
“Notice the too,” she said.
“Oh, yeah,” Gary said. “That’s good, I was thinking, What a waste.”
“Nothing is wasted,” Susan said.
“Love to find out someday,” Gary said.
Hawk glanced at me. I shook my head.
“Why?” Susan said.
“Why?” Gary said. “For crissake, look at you.”
“Thanks, but that’s it, I look good?”
“Of course.”
“No other reason?” Susan said.
Gary looked at me and winked.
“Be fun to see the look on his face,” he said, and tipped his head toward me.
“Not for me,” Susan said.
“You love him,” Gary said.
“I do,” she said.
“À chacun son goût,” he said.
Chapter 28
HAWK TOOK GARY home after dinner. Susan and I lingered in our booth while Susan had a cup of coffee and I didn’t. A cup of coffee at night would keep me awake until after the summer solstice.
“I know you brought me to meet Gary and see what I thought,” she said.
“And what do you think?” I said.
“Wow,” Susan said.
“Wow what?” I said.
“A clinical wow,” she said. “He’s absolutely fascinating.”
“In a clinical way,” I said.
“Absolutely,” she said. “He flirted with me the entire evening.”
“I know.”
“And he was very aware of you all the time,” Susan said.
“I noticed that,” I said.
“Sometimes you’ve been known to intervene,” Susan said.
“Not this time,” I said. “I’m kind of clinical myself.”
“Well,” Susan said. “He’s no simple matter.”
“You mean he’s not just a womanizer?” I said. “Who’s turned a hobby into a business?”
“Maybe he is,” Susan said. “People aren’t usually just one thing, though.”
“So a new theory wouldn’t necessarily replace the old one,” I said.
Susan nodded and gave me a big smile.
“So you’ve been paying attention all these years,” she said.
“I’m more than one thing, myself,” I said.
“You certainly are,” Susan said. “But think about Gary Eisenhower for a minute. What is his pattern?”
“Good-looking women with rich husbands,” I said.
“And where did Clarice Richardson fit into that pattern?”
“She’s good-looking,” I said.
“And she had a husband,” Susan said. “But not a rich one.”
“Maybe he was still perfecting his craft,” I said.
“Probably,” Susan said. “But we’ve been looking at rich, when perhaps we should be looking at husband.”
“You mean it matters to him that they’re married?’
“And maybe it matters to him that he can cuckold the husbands.”
“Which would explain why he flirted with you in front of me,” I said.
“You’re not exactly a husband, but you’d fill the role.”