Part 51 (1/2)
”I had a bottle of beer”
”You like to bake when you're drunk”
”Why is that?” She slid across the kitchen table the tu ”For some reason,” she said, ”I also seem to have felt compelled to eat ot a fork He wasn't in the least hungry as he sat down, but then he took a bite of the cake and, before he could stop himself, had finished as left The sea-foaot up and poured hilass ofthe hair at the back of his neck
”You didn't say,” Sammy said
”I didn't say what?”
”What you you want me to do” want ainst her belly He was tired suddenly He had planned to leave right away, to make his departure easier, but noondered if he shouldn't just wait until the
”You knoant you to stay,” she said ”I hope you know that God da ”
”Yes”
”About how nobody can tell us how to live, and it takes all kinds, and mind your own da his hair He guessed she had heard a certain a at all sarcastic, and in fact, he ad to do for his sake
”It's just,” he said, ”I think I have another point I need to prove”
There was a cough, and they turned and saw Joe standing in the doorway, hair standing up all over his head,he did not want to see
”Is he-you aren't leaving?'” leaving?'”
”For a while,” Sao?”
”I was thinking Los Angeles”
”Saabout it ”damn it, you can't'” can't'”
Sammy drew back a little and raised his arm as if to ward off his old friend ”Take it easy, Joe I appreciate the sentiment, but I-”
”It is not a senti, I went over there and made an offer for the Empire Comics To buy it And Shelly Anapol accepted”
”What? An offer? Joe, are you An offer? Joe, are you crazy?” crazy?”
”You said you had soain” You said I got you stirred up again”
”Yeah, you did, but, Ime first?”
”It's my money,” Joe said ”You have no say in the ain, ”huh Well” He stretched and yawned ”Maybe I could write the stories out there, and mail them to you I don't know We'll see I'm too tired for this now, okay?”
”Well, you won't leave tonight, Sam, don't be crazy It's too late There isn't a train for you to leave with”
”Stay till the uess I could sleep on the couch,” said Sammy
Rosa and Joe looked at each other, startled, alarmed
”Sammy, Joe and I aren't-this isn't because-we haven't been-”
”I know,” Sae the sheets”
Rosa said that while Saht be fully prepared to embark on the life of a hobo, there was no way in hell that he would begin his new career in her house She went to the linen closet and brought fresh sheets and a pillowcase She moved aside the neat pile of Joe's used linens and spread the new ones, tucking, and s back the blanket to expose the reverse of the floral flat sheet in a neat diagonal fold Sa it all looked after the day he'd had When she let him sit down, he bounced on the cushi+on, slipped off his shoes, and then lay back with the happy sigh of an achingvery strange tothe pillowcase filled with Joe's old sheets in one hand, like a sack, and dabbing at the tears in her eyes with the other