Read Online The Passionate Attention of an Interesting Man by Ethan Mordden - Free Book Online
Authors: Ethan Mordden
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uproarious state in which their kind takes in The Game, Lloyd and Lucy headed into the kitchen so he could show her how to make fish sticks and spaghetti the way Tom liked it.
Now Lucy. Lloyd had greatly wondered what sort of woman could suit the redoubtable Tom, and from the moment Lloyd set eyes on her he was thinking, Of course. Attractive but not in a showy way. Smart. Spirited, too, but soft. A woman with a lot of smiling content but not one to argue over nothing just to test the response. Happy and distinctive. When she disagreed with Tom, she didn’t try to topple him. She simply disagreed.
Portia and Lucy: discuss. Money makes the difference. It has spoiled Portia by freeing her. She’ll never be a single mom with two kids and a day job, like Lucy. Portia doesn’t know how to finesse a budget vexed with hidden costs, such as a dentist emergency or a school field trip. Portia points at what she needs and it is given to her. She can make strategic mistakes without paying for them the rest of her days; she doesn’t pay beyond this Thursday.
But Lucy has a magic: she knows what everything is. Portia’s men are boys who dance in Speedos. Lucy, only a few years older, has found in Tom the ideal nesting partner, because duty, in Tom, creates devotion. Aside from his work, there will be nothing in all the life of Tom but his family, as provider, source of strength, and redeemer.
Lucy said as much to Lloyd as they got the dinner things out. “Tom has his controlling side, of course,” she admitted. “But he’s awesome in the dependable department.”
Washing a lemon, Lloyd answered, “You must have had a father like Tom. Girls who called a good man Daddy want a good man for a husband.”
As Lloyd tossed the lemon in the air juggler-style, Lucy said, “Don’t think they’re easy to come by, either.” Examining the plastic crock of grated parmesan, she asked, “Where do you get this?”
“Across the avenue, at that fancy-Dan mall. The grocery stocks gourmet items, but they’re mixed in with everything else, like a secret message. The fresh stuff is right next to the package brands, but it’s there.”
In the living room, then two men cheered some play as Lucy gave the cheese an inquisitive shake. She nodded at Lloyd: you notice things, my friend. That I respect.
That’s what she was thinking. What she said was “Tom is still young. Little more than a boy, really. He seems so certain about everything, but he’s had very little experience in living his life. One moment, as we hold that thought…”
Lucy stepped out of the kitchen to check on her kids. They were still on the porch making their LEGO models.
“Back again,” she went on, returning, while Lloyd set a large pot of water to boil. “My point is that a young man can surprise you. He can swear by his job this year and change it the next. He can light out of the state. He can fall in love.”
“Right, the well-known ‘king of the world’ syndrome. He becomes enriched…empowered…I need another e…enlightened.”
“Well done,” said Lucy, of Lloyd’s nimble wording. And “May I?” she asked, extending a hand to the bottle of olive oil that he pulled out of the pantry.
Lloyd gave it to her.
“The good stuff?” she asked.
“You can’t cheat on the oil,” Lloyd told her. “Even Tom would taste it.”
“Do you think,” Lucy asked, looking at Lloyd meaningfully, “that Tom will…let’s say…undergo that ‘king of the world’ syndrome?”
“I don’t know,” said Lloyd, simply and honestly.
“Yes, but !” she went on. “Because I do have an edge in one respect, and…oh, is this the sauce? In a store jar? After Tom’s praise of this dish, I thought we’d be melting tomatoes all afternoon in mysterious herbs.”
“If it costs over six bucks,” said Lloyd, “it’s as good as homemade.”
“This is my Lucy edge,” she then said. “I don’t crowd him. Like…okay, here: inventing a girl. Let’s call
Now Lucy. Lloyd had greatly wondered what sort of woman could suit the redoubtable Tom, and from the moment Lloyd set eyes on her he was thinking, Of course. Attractive but not in a showy way. Smart. Spirited, too, but soft. A woman with a lot of smiling content but not one to argue over nothing just to test the response. Happy and distinctive. When she disagreed with Tom, she didn’t try to topple him. She simply disagreed.
Portia and Lucy: discuss. Money makes the difference. It has spoiled Portia by freeing her. She’ll never be a single mom with two kids and a day job, like Lucy. Portia doesn’t know how to finesse a budget vexed with hidden costs, such as a dentist emergency or a school field trip. Portia points at what she needs and it is given to her. She can make strategic mistakes without paying for them the rest of her days; she doesn’t pay beyond this Thursday.
But Lucy has a magic: she knows what everything is. Portia’s men are boys who dance in Speedos. Lucy, only a few years older, has found in Tom the ideal nesting partner, because duty, in Tom, creates devotion. Aside from his work, there will be nothing in all the life of Tom but his family, as provider, source of strength, and redeemer.
Lucy said as much to Lloyd as they got the dinner things out. “Tom has his controlling side, of course,” she admitted. “But he’s awesome in the dependable department.”
Washing a lemon, Lloyd answered, “You must have had a father like Tom. Girls who called a good man Daddy want a good man for a husband.”
As Lloyd tossed the lemon in the air juggler-style, Lucy said, “Don’t think they’re easy to come by, either.” Examining the plastic crock of grated parmesan, she asked, “Where do you get this?”
“Across the avenue, at that fancy-Dan mall. The grocery stocks gourmet items, but they’re mixed in with everything else, like a secret message. The fresh stuff is right next to the package brands, but it’s there.”
In the living room, then two men cheered some play as Lucy gave the cheese an inquisitive shake. She nodded at Lloyd: you notice things, my friend. That I respect.
That’s what she was thinking. What she said was “Tom is still young. Little more than a boy, really. He seems so certain about everything, but he’s had very little experience in living his life. One moment, as we hold that thought…”
Lucy stepped out of the kitchen to check on her kids. They were still on the porch making their LEGO models.
“Back again,” she went on, returning, while Lloyd set a large pot of water to boil. “My point is that a young man can surprise you. He can swear by his job this year and change it the next. He can light out of the state. He can fall in love.”
“Right, the well-known ‘king of the world’ syndrome. He becomes enriched…empowered…I need another e…enlightened.”
“Well done,” said Lucy, of Lloyd’s nimble wording. And “May I?” she asked, extending a hand to the bottle of olive oil that he pulled out of the pantry.
Lloyd gave it to her.
“The good stuff?” she asked.
“You can’t cheat on the oil,” Lloyd told her. “Even Tom would taste it.”
“Do you think,” Lucy asked, looking at Lloyd meaningfully, “that Tom will…let’s say…undergo that ‘king of the world’ syndrome?”
“I don’t know,” said Lloyd, simply and honestly.
“Yes, but !” she went on. “Because I do have an edge in one respect, and…oh, is this the sauce? In a store jar? After Tom’s praise of this dish, I thought we’d be melting tomatoes all afternoon in mysterious herbs.”
“If it costs over six bucks,” said Lloyd, “it’s as good as homemade.”
“This is my Lucy edge,” she then said. “I don’t crowd him. Like…okay, here: inventing a girl. Let’s call
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