Read Online Tales of the City 06 - Sure of You by Armistead Maupin - Free Book Online

Burke yesterday?”
    “Oh.” It took her a moment. “Fine.”
    He nodded. “Get all caught up?”
    “Mmm. More or less.”
    “He still…married and all?”
    She studied him a moment, then gave him a slow, honeyed smirk. “You’re a silly man.”
    On its own, his eyebrow did something suggestive of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. “Oh, yeah?”
    Her eyes returned to the sweet potato she was slicing. “I knew you were gonna get like this.”
    “Hey,” he said, shrugging. “What way have I gotten? It was a simple question.”
    “O.K., then…Yes, he is still married. Yes, he still has two kids.”
    “How does he look?”
    “What do you want me to say?” she said. “Something really disparaging so you won’t be insecure?”
    “That would be good.”
    She smiled. “You’re such a mess.”
    “C’mon. Give it a shot. Has his ass gone froggy on him?”
    She hooted, so he sidled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You used to like him a lot.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Hey,” he said, “I was there, remember? I saw you guys together all the time.”
    She rotated in his arms and raked the hair above his ears with her fingertips. “Did Michael make a big deal about this lunch or something?”
    “I didn’t tell him,” he said. “Did you?”
    “No. Why would I do that?”
    He shrugged.
    “And what could possibly make you think that after eleven years I would even…?”
    “Nothing,” he said. “You’re right. I’m a silly man.”
    Her eyes surveyed his with optometrical attention to detail. She gave him a dismissive rap on the butt and turned back to her sweet potatoes.
    “If you wanna know the truth,” she said, chopping away, “he’s gotten kind of prosaic.”
    “How so?”
    “I dunno. Too serious and dedicated. Wrapped up in his career.”
    “Which is?”
    “Television,” she replied. “Producing.”
    “Small world.”
    “He’s nice, though. He was really concerned when I told him Michael was positive.” She paused. “Actually, we spent most of the time talking about that.”
    “They were close, huh?”
    “Well, fairly. He asked if we could all get together sometime this week.”
    “Oh, yeah? With Michael, you mean?”
    She nodded. “If you don’t want to, of course…”
    “No. That’s fine.”
    “I think you’d get along with him great.”
    “I thought you said he was prosaic.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I meant…about his work. Is Wednesday a good night?”
    “I dunno,” he said. “I haven’t checked the book lately.” By this he meant their book, of course, as opposed to his or hers. For years now, at her instigation, they had maintained three appointment books at home. It had saved them a world of trouble.
    “We’re free,” she said. “Nguyet’s available too.” Moments later she added: “Probably.”
    Hauling in the maid sounded a little too grand to him. “We can do it without her, can’t we?”
    “We could,” she said. “But it’s five for dinner…six counting Puppy…and somebody’s gotta dish it out. I just thought it would be more convenient.”
    “I’ll cook, then. I’ll make my paella.”
    “That’s sweet, but…”
    “Hey,” he said. “It was a big hit last time.”
    “I know that, but I want us all to be together. What’s the point in doing this if you’re holed up in the kitchen with the clams?”
    “O.K.,” he said.
    “You wanna ask Michael, or shall I?”
    “Why don’t you?” he said. “He sees me all day. I think it would mean more. He hasn’t heard from you for a while.”
    She nodded and lifted the receiver of the wall phone.
    His paranoia raged away in silence.

Dance with Me
    M ICHAEL HUNG UP THE PHONE AND WENT TO THE bathroom, where Thack sat naked in the empty tub, shampooing Harry. Sleek as a sewer rat in his coat of lather, Harry crooned softly in protest as Thack turned on the hand spray and rinsed the poodle’s rump.
    “Yes,” said Michael, talking to Harry. “You’re a good boy.