Part 5 (2/2)
”Cool! It's just like the beach, Nanny! Don't pick 'eet my bucket” He scampers out of the kitchen as I drop the knife in the sink and crouch to collect the rab for the thirdthe first slides out of h heel I jerk up to see a redheaded wo squarely in thedoorway
Grayer co his sand bucket, but freezes behind her when he sees forGrayer tocoe offherHerrayGuccibriefcase
Shekneelstoretrieve a coquilleandturnstohandittoGrayer ”Didyoulosethis?” sheasks
Helooksupatitfroer of the Chicago office And youherbriefcasedown
”I'seafood
”I coulduse a helper”Shesfor a newjob?”
”Sure,”hemumblesintohis bucket
I dump the shells in the colander and turn off the stove ”If you just give rootothesinkoverfloith pans
”No t's his dinner,” I say, scrapingburnedbeets outofthepot
”Whatever happenedtopeanutbutter andjelly?” shelaughs,puttingher briefcasedownonthetable
”Nanny,I wantpeanutbutter andjelly”
”Sorry, didn't mean to start a revolution,” she says ”Grayer, I' you will bedelicious”
”Actually, pb & j sounds perfect,” I say, pulling out the peanut butter froe Once I've seated Grayer in his booster seat at the banquette I lead her to the dining roo walnut table hasbeenreplacedbythreeroundones
”Well, well,” she murmurs as she steps in behind me ”She had them set up a whole day early hat must have cost thousands” We both look down at the lavender-scented tables, festooned with shi+ning silverware, sparklingcrystal, andgilt-edged chargerplates ”I'm sorryI won't behere”
”You won't?”
”Mr X wants o” She smiles atthePicassoover themantelandtheRothkoabovethesideboard
I follow hertothelivingroomandthenthelibrary Shetakesin each jewel-toned rooering the raw silk drapes, ”but a littleoverdone, don't you think?”
Unaccusto asked ht words ”UmMrs X has very definite tastes Actually, since you're here, would you behind Mr X's desktoretrieve agift bag
”Whatis it?” sheasks, pullingher hairover her shouldertopeer inside
”It's a gift bag for the guests I wrapped theht, because I couldn't find the right tissue paper and the ribbon Mrs X wanted was out of stock? ”Nanny?” She cuts me off ”Is anyoneonfire?” ”Sorry?” I say, takenaback
”They're justgiftbags For a bunchofoldgeezers,”shelaughs, ”I'm surethey're perfect elax”
”Thanks, it just seelances over my shoulder at the shelf of fa to check in with the office and then I'll do the place cards Is Mrs X coht”
She picks up the phone and bends over the any desk to peer at a framed picture of Mr X with Grayer atophis shouldersatthefootof a skislope
”NAN-NY,I'M FIIII-NISHED!”
”Okay, well, letelse,” I say froanddials ”Thankyou!” she me a thumbs-up
Nanny, As aruleI don likeGrayertohavetoohtI eleft all hisfoodalreadymeasuredoutonthecounter Ifyoucouldjustputthebeets,thekale,andthekohlrabi inthesteamerfortwelve minutesthatshouldbeperfect, butpleasetrytostayoutofthecaterers?way
You should probably give Grayer his dinner in his rooh when I give the tour So it probably best for you both to take your plates intohis bathroo on you to stay until Grayer is asleep and make sure that he doesn intrude on the meal
pps I lneedyoutopickupGrayer Halloweencostu steanizablemush, burned myhandintheprocess, andnearlyscaldedGrayer several tito dineatop his toiletseat, I ae off” I shi+ft on the bar stool, wondering if, perhaps, I could work for that redhead fro, and spendfor my pay envelope and fish out a twenty for the bartender It's thicker this week and I count over three hundred in cash I realize that while I'm exhausted and probably on my way to sothreeti three times as much money It's only the second week of the month and the rent is alreadycoveredAndthereisthatpair ofblackleatherpantsI've hadmyeye on
I justneed half an hour of quiet before I can go home to Char-leneand her hairy pilot boyfriend I don't wanttotalk,1 don't wanttolisten,andIyour hairy boyfriend sleep over when you share a studio apartthedays untilshe's slottedfortheAsiaroute
”Yo, yo, check this out!” The blond homeboy in the Brooks Brothers ensemble motions for his ”posse” tocheckouthis PalmPilotatthecornertable Classic
Normally, I avoid Dorrian's and its preppy clientele like the clap But it was directly on my path home and the bartender e off” Besides, off-season is usuallypretty safe,oncethey all returntoschool
I count five white baseball hats huddled over their friend's new toy Despite only being in college, they all have portable cellular devices of so off their yuppy utility belts The years change, the corduroy jackets of the seventies giving way to the flipped-up collars of the eighties, theplaidshi+rts ofthenineties, andtheGore-Texoftheneweless asthered-checkedtablecloths
I aaze when they turn to the door In keeping with the tenor of my day, who should walk in but my very own Harvard Hottie, sans chapeau blanc And he knows the of hi children in Tibet e
”Is that good? You like that?” Oh God, there's one standing right next to me Roll 'e his South Carolina baseball hat, which proudly proclaims cockS across the frontinthree-inchcrimson letters
”Maaar-tiii-niiis Pretty hard stuff, don't you think?” he says a little too close to my face and then screaive me a hand with these drinks, you lazy bitches!” H H comes over to assist with thebeertransport
”Hey,Grayer's girlfriend, right?” Hese,stockexchangeYet I can't helpnoting a cohis Levi's
”I'm happy to report that he's out for the count after one reading of Goodnight Moon” I siving you ahardtime”Jonescracksup attheunintendeddoubleentendre ”He canbe abit over myshoulderatJones ”Hey,youshouldjoinus”
”Yeah,I'm kindoftired”
”Please, just for a quick drink” I eye the group skeptically, but I'm swayed as his hair falls in his eyes whenhepicksup thepitchers