DANIEL ASA ROSE
571
then to Henry: " You remember that, " and then looking up at
the tree h e hummed the melody o f "Try T o Remember," and
then h e faced Ri ta with n ew en ergy and sang : "Try to remember
th a t thi s, is an elk tree, it is , just that, becau se, I-say - so," and
then h e switched to bourbon. Thi s enta il ed hi s walking into the
hou se.
33. Did an yth ing transp ire in his absen ce?
You bet. Whil e Roy was getting the bourbon Rita qui etl y
to ld th e two youngsters th a t Roy had lung cancer.
They said: "Wh a t! " and H enri etta added : "Can anythin g be
don e?"
"Since h e found out a bout it h e refuses to see any doctors,"
Rit a said , screwing cl osed th e sky-scraper cap of the n ail polish
w ith fin gers th a t n eeded to dry. She was pl a inl y weari ed of the
way Roy h andl ed real-life situa ti on s. " Your uncl e thinks tha t
would be giving in to it, you see."
T h e door open ed and Ri cky, who knew no thing of thi s
ma tter, approached with the bourbon tray. He still wore hi s
ba thro be and slippers. Rita said: "Oh , I thought you were your
fa ther. "
" No," said Ri cky, " my fa th er's on the po tty." As h e leaned
to set down the tray he g runted empha ti call y, by way o f round–
ing out the pi cture.
"So th a t's the la test," Rita concluded , taking a sip from
Roy's g lass.
" I ca n ' t beli eve it," sa id Henri etta .
" Neith er can
I ,"
sa id H enry.
"Wh y no t?" interrupted Ri cky. " Everybody's got to go
sometime. Sometimes when h e h as to go number on e he does it
right o ut here."
Rita sputtered into h er hu sband's drink, a short laugh.
"Tha t's di sgusting," sh e sa id li ghtl y, wiping the side of the g lass
and relega tin g it
to
th e a rm of Roy's chair.
" I just think it's horribl e," reaffirmed Henri etta.
"Same h ere," said H enry. " Cut it out," he told Ri cky, who
had taken a sea t at hi s fee t and was h arml essl y tossing p a tio
pebbl es up onto hi s lap .
