JIRI WYATT
Now That They Are Dead
M
y
F IRST SUMME R AWAY AT CAM P
a fly go t lodged ins ide my
ea r, ra ising a furi o us, hys terica l, a ll -but-unbea ra bl e whine.
The doctor fi rst po ured in tepid wa te r a nd then, with a n eye–
brow tweeze r, pulled the thing o ut, sodden, black, and fin a ll y sil ent.
1 neve r to ld my pa rents o f thi s ca la mity. They were so relucta nt to let
me go away th a t I was first amazed by and then who ll y intent o n those
mo nth s of as toni shing libera ti o n.
I hea r them now ac ross th e yea rs lik e th a t fl y, bu zz ing, buzz ing. . ..
At the time, I was meek a nd mild , "a good boy," as the owner o f the
camp, a little beas t o f a woma n from Jewish Berlin , liked to say in front
of w hatever a udi ence she happened to have ga thered. She was a woman
who needed a n a udi ence, a nd , as seems a lways to be tru e of such peo–
pl e, she trave led in va ri a bl y- even if o nl y across the ha ll-with an a udi –
ence in tow.
Sometimes th a t a udi ence was just m e, so maybe th at was why I fo und
th e id ea impo rta nt, th e id ea tha t I was a good person do ing good . Wh er–
eve r I go t the idea , it mi sled me fo r a ver y lo ng time.
My mo ther is a rguing w ith my fa ther. There a re three o f us, as
a lways, a nd wha t did it eve r he lp to kn ow tha t three's a crowd ? In o ur
crowd the odd ma n o ut is my fa ther. M y fa ther is no t ve ry bright. H e
ir rita tes my mo th er beca use she wa nts to marry the p rince. H e irrita tes
me beca use he ca n 't shut my mo ther up. M y mo th er doesn 't need a ny
a lli es but wa nts me to herse lf, I' m he r surroga te; she lo ng ago gave up
o n my fa th er. M y fa the r need s a llies, but I'm no t pl ay ing .
Wh y does he let her get away w ith it?
"Yo u expect me to sit in a ca r fo r an ho ur a nd then just have dinner
a t M a ra's ho use? She ca n 't even cook. Who else will be th ere ?"
"Wh a t do yo u know, an ho ur! Please- "
" Yo u wa nt me to sit in a ca r fo r a n ho ur so I ca n suffer a t tha t
woma n 's ho use? Wha t, a re you th a t stupid ?"
I think, " Knock he r teeth o ut! Li ve ! Li ve ! Knock her teeth o ut! "
He says, "Wh y, wh a t do you kn ow! "
