Read Online The Four Corners Of The Sky by Michael Malone - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michael Malone
Ads: Link
house.
“Gonna let loose!” Clark yelled. As if to prove his point, rain poured suddenly down; a twisting gust yanked his hat off and spun it like a top across the yard. Dropping the cones, the long-legged doctor loped after it. Up on the porch steps, he shook his legs to unstick his rain-soaked khaki trousers. Behind him, his little white dog shook his short wet legs too.
“Hi Malpy.” Annie kissed the Maltese. “Teddy still bossing you around?”
Clark said, “Bosses everybody.” The Shih Tzu (who’d been chosen for Annie because they were the longest-lived of dogs) was now nearly twenty, blind, arthritic, self-important as ever; these days, Clark said, she never left the velvet poof in her pagoda except to reassert her supremacy over Malpy.
Annie stood with her uncle on the porch, looking out at the rain. On the horizon a black mass of clouds tinged with an eerie green twisted and swirled off to the east, like an old satin cloak dragged across the sky.
Clark rubbed water off his sandy hair. “Actually I got here only two minutes after you did. Just goes to show.”
“I had to pull off the road for a phone call. A weird cop from Miami, looking for Dad. I told him I had no idea.”
Clark nodded thoughtfully. “Why’d he call you?”
She shrugged. “Exactly.”
“You bring your cat?”
She told him that her friend Trevor was taking care of Amy Johnson back in Chesapeake Cove.
“That’s good.” Clark wiped his glasses on his shirt. “I just don’t see why you never ask that fellow down to meet us. Plenty of room at Pilgrim’s Rest.” Trevor, her condominium neighbor, was a single man her age.
“He wouldn’t take the time. Workaholic.”
Clark shrugged excessively and pointed at her.
“Don’t start,” she warned. She pointed at the house next door. “But Georgette would like Trevor.” Annie had been trying to fix up Georgette since high school.
Georgette now lived alone with a Siamese cat named Pitti Sing; her mother Kim had moved recently to a golf community in Southern Pines. Clark shook his head at his neighbor’s house. “You want to talk workaholic? Georgette’s at the hospital fourteen hours a day; at night, she watches television or she comes over here, watches movies with Sam and me. I want her to fall in love.”
Annie touched his face. “You want everybody to fall in love.”
“I tried it myself a couple of times. I enjoyed it.” Clark stepped back as wind blew the rain in on them. “It’s let loose. Told you.” He stretched his hand out into the downpour as if to test it. “My grandma used to say they would get rain so big one drop could drown a cat. So when I was little, whenever it rained, I hid our cat in a dresser drawer—”
Annie had heard this story before. “—and your cat had her first litter right on top of your blue crewneck. That’s why you went into pediatrics.”
“It’s sure why I never wore that blue crewneck again. So, go on in and happy birthday.” Gesturing at her Navy uniform, Clark held up the forefinger that meant a pun was coming. “You hear about the red ship that collided with the blue ship and all the sailors were marooned?”
“Top ten worst,” she said. She ranked most of his puns in the “top ten worst.”
He pushed on his glasses, bent to examine the service ribbons on her white jacket. “So, is that for sure, you’re getting divorced next week?”
She shrugged. “The lawyer swears.”
Clark nodded. “Good.”
She nodded back. “Yep.” They’d been able to talk to each other with nods since the day they’d met long ago in the Pilgrim’s Rest barn.
“About love?” he added. “Next time, go for the package. Looks, brains, job. Don’t settle.” He hugged her. “Or on the other hand, settle and be happy.”
“Got it, Clark.” She smiled at him, his favorite smile.
“You’re not planning on taking Brad back, are you? Don’t even think that.”
She raised her eyebrow at her uncle. “Aren’t you
“Gonna let loose!” Clark yelled. As if to prove his point, rain poured suddenly down; a twisting gust yanked his hat off and spun it like a top across the yard. Dropping the cones, the long-legged doctor loped after it. Up on the porch steps, he shook his legs to unstick his rain-soaked khaki trousers. Behind him, his little white dog shook his short wet legs too.
“Hi Malpy.” Annie kissed the Maltese. “Teddy still bossing you around?”
Clark said, “Bosses everybody.” The Shih Tzu (who’d been chosen for Annie because they were the longest-lived of dogs) was now nearly twenty, blind, arthritic, self-important as ever; these days, Clark said, she never left the velvet poof in her pagoda except to reassert her supremacy over Malpy.
Annie stood with her uncle on the porch, looking out at the rain. On the horizon a black mass of clouds tinged with an eerie green twisted and swirled off to the east, like an old satin cloak dragged across the sky.
Clark rubbed water off his sandy hair. “Actually I got here only two minutes after you did. Just goes to show.”
“I had to pull off the road for a phone call. A weird cop from Miami, looking for Dad. I told him I had no idea.”
Clark nodded thoughtfully. “Why’d he call you?”
She shrugged. “Exactly.”
“You bring your cat?”
She told him that her friend Trevor was taking care of Amy Johnson back in Chesapeake Cove.
“That’s good.” Clark wiped his glasses on his shirt. “I just don’t see why you never ask that fellow down to meet us. Plenty of room at Pilgrim’s Rest.” Trevor, her condominium neighbor, was a single man her age.
“He wouldn’t take the time. Workaholic.”
Clark shrugged excessively and pointed at her.
“Don’t start,” she warned. She pointed at the house next door. “But Georgette would like Trevor.” Annie had been trying to fix up Georgette since high school.
Georgette now lived alone with a Siamese cat named Pitti Sing; her mother Kim had moved recently to a golf community in Southern Pines. Clark shook his head at his neighbor’s house. “You want to talk workaholic? Georgette’s at the hospital fourteen hours a day; at night, she watches television or she comes over here, watches movies with Sam and me. I want her to fall in love.”
Annie touched his face. “You want everybody to fall in love.”
“I tried it myself a couple of times. I enjoyed it.” Clark stepped back as wind blew the rain in on them. “It’s let loose. Told you.” He stretched his hand out into the downpour as if to test it. “My grandma used to say they would get rain so big one drop could drown a cat. So when I was little, whenever it rained, I hid our cat in a dresser drawer—”
Annie had heard this story before. “—and your cat had her first litter right on top of your blue crewneck. That’s why you went into pediatrics.”
“It’s sure why I never wore that blue crewneck again. So, go on in and happy birthday.” Gesturing at her Navy uniform, Clark held up the forefinger that meant a pun was coming. “You hear about the red ship that collided with the blue ship and all the sailors were marooned?”
“Top ten worst,” she said. She ranked most of his puns in the “top ten worst.”
He pushed on his glasses, bent to examine the service ribbons on her white jacket. “So, is that for sure, you’re getting divorced next week?”
She shrugged. “The lawyer swears.”
Clark nodded. “Good.”
She nodded back. “Yep.” They’d been able to talk to each other with nods since the day they’d met long ago in the Pilgrim’s Rest barn.
“About love?” he added. “Next time, go for the package. Looks, brains, job. Don’t settle.” He hugged her. “Or on the other hand, settle and be happy.”
“Got it, Clark.” She smiled at him, his favorite smile.
“You’re not planning on taking Brad back, are you? Don’t even think that.”
She raised her eyebrow at her uncle. “Aren’t you
Similar Books
