like to talk to you.” When he didn’t, she planted her fist on her skinny hip and said, “I’m not going to accost you. I just want privacy.”
Jon pushed the door shut.
“George told me about your discussion at the restaurant.” She went back to sorting the laundry.
“I’m sorry about—”
Eleanor shot him a look. “I’m not going to chastise you. In fact, I want to apologize for George. He’s not very open minded about things. I think the idea of science not being able to explain something scares him.” She shrugged. “I told him he should listen. Hard head.”
“You believe me?”
“I don’t know what to believe. I only know I’m not going to write you off as a fruitcake.”
“Is that what George thinks?”
She loaded the washer. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
Jon slumped.
“Didn’t you hear me?” She slapped his arm. “It doesn’t matter what George thinks or anyone thinks. If you believe there might be something to…” She waved a hand. “Anyhow.” Eleanor tossed the last shirt into the washing machine and closed the lid. “When my father was a little boy, his father would take him twice a month to get his hair cut at the barber shop. I think it was more of a social thing. You know, boys hanging out with boys. Kind of like a girl’s night out.” She smiled, but didn’t look up. “He said that the owner of the shop had this parlor trick he would do. He’d put something out on the floor and make it levitate.”
“You mean he’d make things float?”
Eleanor huffed. “Do you know of any other kind of levitate?”
Jon started to scrub the back of his neck but the hem of the nightshirt inched up.
“People would come from all around to watch him do it. When he had skeptics like you, like George, he’d levitate them just to prove he was authentic. Those folks were always too scared to come back.” She turned the dials on the washing machine, then folded her hands. “One day, my father went to the shop, like he’d done for years, to get his haircut. And like always, he asked Mr. Opus, that was the name of the shop owner, to do his trick, but that day he refused. My father asked him why.” Fear glittered in her eyes. “Opus told my father he’d figured out where that power had come from. He vowed he’d never touch it again.” She walked up and put a hand on Jon’s arm. “My father had no sense of humor or time for games. If he said that’s what happened, then that’s what happened.” She gave him a pat. “Now run back to your room and get some rest.”
Jon followed her out. “I appreciate you not…well, not thinking I’d made all this up.”
“Like I said, the world’s full of things we’ll never understand. That means nothing is impossible, only improbable.” She started to turn and stopped. “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Do try to keep the noise down. I’m a light sleeper.”
As soon as Jon got back to the room, he pulled off the nightgown. He should have just gone naked. It would have been half as embarrassing. Now he felt the need to do something manly like watch football or change a tire. The sad pile of blue fabric seemed to mock him from the floor. Jon kicked it under the bed.
Water splashed in the bathroom. Jon peered through the gap in the door. Ellis sat shoulder deep in the massive tub surrounded by ribbons of steam.
There was more than one way to repair his ego.
“You want some company?” The humid air engulfed Jon.
Ellis sat up. “Sure.”
Jon tested the water. “You bathing or making soup?”
“It’s not that hot.”
“By not that hot, do you mean it’s a few degrees from boiling an egg?”
“Quit whining and get in.”
The water swallowed Jon’s feet one at a time. He was okay until he sat. Then his balls threatened to go on strike. “Well, there’s one thing for sure.” He stretched out his legs.
“What’s that?”
“With my nuts cooked, you won’t ever have to worry about
Jon pushed the door shut.
“George told me about your discussion at the restaurant.” She went back to sorting the laundry.
“I’m sorry about—”
Eleanor shot him a look. “I’m not going to chastise you. In fact, I want to apologize for George. He’s not very open minded about things. I think the idea of science not being able to explain something scares him.” She shrugged. “I told him he should listen. Hard head.”
“You believe me?”
“I don’t know what to believe. I only know I’m not going to write you off as a fruitcake.”
“Is that what George thinks?”
She loaded the washer. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”
Jon slumped.
“Didn’t you hear me?” She slapped his arm. “It doesn’t matter what George thinks or anyone thinks. If you believe there might be something to…” She waved a hand. “Anyhow.” Eleanor tossed the last shirt into the washing machine and closed the lid. “When my father was a little boy, his father would take him twice a month to get his hair cut at the barber shop. I think it was more of a social thing. You know, boys hanging out with boys. Kind of like a girl’s night out.” She smiled, but didn’t look up. “He said that the owner of the shop had this parlor trick he would do. He’d put something out on the floor and make it levitate.”
“You mean he’d make things float?”
Eleanor huffed. “Do you know of any other kind of levitate?”
Jon started to scrub the back of his neck but the hem of the nightshirt inched up.
“People would come from all around to watch him do it. When he had skeptics like you, like George, he’d levitate them just to prove he was authentic. Those folks were always too scared to come back.” She turned the dials on the washing machine, then folded her hands. “One day, my father went to the shop, like he’d done for years, to get his haircut. And like always, he asked Mr. Opus, that was the name of the shop owner, to do his trick, but that day he refused. My father asked him why.” Fear glittered in her eyes. “Opus told my father he’d figured out where that power had come from. He vowed he’d never touch it again.” She walked up and put a hand on Jon’s arm. “My father had no sense of humor or time for games. If he said that’s what happened, then that’s what happened.” She gave him a pat. “Now run back to your room and get some rest.”
Jon followed her out. “I appreciate you not…well, not thinking I’d made all this up.”
“Like I said, the world’s full of things we’ll never understand. That means nothing is impossible, only improbable.” She started to turn and stopped. “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Do try to keep the noise down. I’m a light sleeper.”
As soon as Jon got back to the room, he pulled off the nightgown. He should have just gone naked. It would have been half as embarrassing. Now he felt the need to do something manly like watch football or change a tire. The sad pile of blue fabric seemed to mock him from the floor. Jon kicked it under the bed.
Water splashed in the bathroom. Jon peered through the gap in the door. Ellis sat shoulder deep in the massive tub surrounded by ribbons of steam.
There was more than one way to repair his ego.
“You want some company?” The humid air engulfed Jon.
Ellis sat up. “Sure.”
Jon tested the water. “You bathing or making soup?”
“It’s not that hot.”
“By not that hot, do you mean it’s a few degrees from boiling an egg?”
“Quit whining and get in.”
The water swallowed Jon’s feet one at a time. He was okay until he sat. Then his balls threatened to go on strike. “Well, there’s one thing for sure.” He stretched out his legs.
“What’s that?”
“With my nuts cooked, you won’t ever have to worry about
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