Part 36 (2/2)
”You think” Sarape jelly froidaire
”I don't know, I just think he's been a little jumpy”
”He's always ju as I'overn her son than it was for Saht She believed that it was important to put trust in children, to hand over the reins to thes for themselves But when, as frequently occurred, Tommy squandered that trust, she did not hesitate to clamp down And Tommy never seemed to resent her heavy discipline in the way that he chafed under Saets there”
”You can't walk me to school,” Tommy said He came into the kitchen, sat down before his plate, and stared at it, waiting for Sas ”Mom, you can't possibly I would die I would absolutely die”
”He would die,” Sa forthere next to a dead body in front of Willia there next to a dead body in front of Williah”
”How about I I walk him instead? It's only ten oodbye to each other at the front gate before setting off in opposite directions for the station and the junior high school, respectively Frorade, they had parted with a handshake, but that custom, a minor beloved landmark of Saood Sammy was not sure why, or who had made the decision to abandon it ”That way you can stay here and, you knoalk him instead? It's only ten oodbye to each other at the front gate before setting off in opposite directions for the station and the junior high school, respectively Frorade, they had parted with a handshake, but that custom, a minor beloved landmark of Saood Sammy was not sure why, or who had made the decision to abandon it ”That way you can stay here and, you know, draw ood idea”
Sas onto Tommy's plate ”Sorry,” he said, ”we're out of salaures,” Tommy said”I'll put it on my list,” said Rosa
They fell silent for aby the counter with a slice of bread in his hand, watching Tommy shovel it in He was a trencherman, was Tom The little stick of a boy had vanished under aa little bit portly, in fact After thirty-seven seconds, the eggs were gone To at ”
Rosa and Sa, and focused on her son, always a little bit cross-eyed when she wasto go into the city again?”
Tommy shook his head
”Nevertheless,” Sammy said, ”I'll walk you”
”Drive me,” Tommy said ”If you don't believe me” me,” Tommy said ”If you don't believe me”
”Why not?” Sammy said If he took the car to the station, Rosa would not be able to drive to the grocery store, or to the beach, or to the library ”for inspiration” She would be ht just take it all the way into the city They opened a new lot around the corner from the office”
Rosa looked up, alar their car, a 1951 Studebaker Chah Rosa had been known to walk to the station to fetch it, just so that she would be able to drive around Long Island doing things that were not drawing ro their car, a 1951 Studebaker Chah Rosa had been known to walk to the station to fetch it, just so that she would be able to drive around Long Island doing things that were not drawing roet dressed” Sammy handed the slice of bread to Rosa ”Here,” he said, ”you make his lunch”
2
Breakfast palaver at the Excelsior Cafeteria on Second Avenue, a favoritehaunt of funny-book men, circa April 1954: ”It's a hoax”
”I just said that”
”So”
”Maybe it's Anapol” Anapol”
”I wouldn't bla I hear he's in all kinds of trouble over there”
”I'm in all kinds of trouble Everybody is in all kinds of trouble I challenge you to naoing to get worse”
”That's what you always say Listen to you Listen to this guy, he kills looo aith a full tank of gloom, it lasts loom, Dr Fredric Wertham Have you read this book of his? What's it called? How to Seduce an Innocent?” How to Seduce an Innocent?”
There was loud laughter at this The hter had been a little too loud, certainly for the hour and the condition of their hangovers
Dr Fredric Wertham, a child psychiatrist with unie, had for several years been trying to persuade the parents and legislators of A deeply da of comic books With the recent publication of the admirable, encyclopedic, and mistaken Seduction of the Innocent, Seduction of the Innocent, Dr Werthaun to bear real fruit; there had been calls for controls or outright bans, and in several southern and overnments had sponsored public co ed minds had festively tossed their collections Dr Werthaun to bear real fruit; there had been calls for controls or outright bans, and in several southern and overnments had sponsored public co ed minds had festively tossed their collections
”No, I haven't read it Have you read it?”
”I tried It gives me a pain in the stomach”
”Has anybody read it?”
”Estes Kefauver has read it Anybody get a summons yet?”
Noord had it, the United States Senate was co to town Senator Kefauver of Tennessee and his Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency had deteres leveled by Wertha of co addiction, sexual perversion, even rape and ot a su to juuy on the E to jump”
”You knoho it just crossed my mind it could be If it isn't a hoax, I mean hell, even if it is In fact, if it's him, it definitely is is a hoax” a hoax”
”What is this, a game show? Tell us who he is”
”Joe Kavalier”
”Joe Kavalier, yes! That's exactly who I was thinking of”
”Joe Kavalier! Whatever happened to that guy?”
”I heard he's in Canada Soara Falls”
”I heard it was Quebec”
”I heard it was Mort Segal, Segal, not Meskin He took his honeymoon up there” not Meskin He took his honeymoon up there”
”I always liked him”
”He was a hell of an artist”