Carpenter's Gothic Read online

  — Well turn it!

  He stood off as far as his reach allowed, turned the key and stepped back. — My God it started.

  — Turn it off!

  His hand darted in to the switch, he stumbled back over boots, over knees all coming upright. — Probably torn some teeth off your flywheel, the starter gear hits that dead spot and just spins.

  — Well it, anyhow the God damn thing starts.

  — Probably sheared your starter gear too, get a new one put in or it can happen again, happen any time… Wind from the river caught their collars up, brought down a burst of half yellowed leaves from the maple tree on the corner there. — Thanks, Paul.

  — What do you mean thanks.

  — Man like I'm thanking you for this good karma you just gave me that's all, I mean you give somebody a chance to do you a favour and that helps out their karma for the next time around, right? So they ought to thank you, right?

  — Look Billy don't try to push my, I didn't ask you to do it did I? Crawl under there in the dark this little stick of wood holding it up the whole God damn car could have…

  — Like this…? and the sudden thrust of a boot sent the wood shivering, the car crashed down splashing broken stone under the rocker panel. — Why didn't you, Paul.

  — Billy God damn it don't…

  — Might have been your last chance when it could still do you some good. Here… he'd reached in to pull the keys from the ignition, tossed them over — kids find the keys in it they'll take it for a joyride and leave it in a ditch. An old heap like this Paul, it wouldn't even be grand larceny.

  — You would have wouldn't you! Been me under there, wouldn't you! He was down on one knee brushing leaves aside for the keys, — good karma someday Billy God damn it, I'll show you good karma! But the wind threw his words back to him, blowing up from the river, blowing the leaves up in flurries where his fingers raked them aside, smashed wing, muddied mantle barely distinguishable in the protective coloration of death, he straightened up with the keys looking down the hill where the figure hunched smaller against the wind, and then he stooped to pick up the bird by a leg and hold it away as he turned for the door.

  — Paul? I thought I heard the car start. Is it fixed?

  — Till the next time.

  — What's that you've, oh!

  He carried it past her to drop in the trash. — Where's the whisky.

  — In the refrigerator, you…

  — What the hell is it doing in the refrigerator.

  — You put it there last night.

  — Well why didn't you take it out… The refrigerator door banged against the counter. — He's crazy Liz. That God damn brother of yours, he's crazy.

  — Paul please he, I know sometimes he…

  — Sometimes! You know what he just did out there?

  — I thought he fixed the car, you said…

  — He ought to be locked up Liz. He's dangerous. Is this glass clean? He ought to be in Payne Whitney with your uncle strutting around in a cutaway, Uncle William strutting around Payne Whitney with no pants on.

  — Like the night you folded up all your clothes and put them in the refrig…

  — Liz that never happened! It never happened, it's something you read someplace.

  — I thought it was funny.

  — Nothing's funny. When did Ude say he'd call back.

  — He just said later. Who's Mister Ude.

  — Reverend Ude. He's a client. Did you bring in the mail?

  — It's, yes it's somewhere, I think I put it…

  — Look Liz, we've got to get a system. At least you brought it in, good. Now there's got to be a place for it. If I'm going to get any kind of an operation going here we've got to get a system, I've got to know where the mail is when I walk in, you've got to get a pad there by the phone so I can see who…

  — No it's there, there behind the bag of onions when I came in I…

  — See that's what I mean. I mean if I'm going to run any kind of operation from here I can't be looking for the mail under a bag of onions. Did my check come?

  — I didn't look, I don't…

  — God damn bank, somebody in there with a lien they're probably freezing everything I… Paper tore, — listen to this. Dear Customer… — Paul?

  — Does taking ten percent off any initial purchase at the finest furniture specialty store in America sound attractive to you? If so, you'll be happy to know that the…

  — Paul what just happened out there. With Billy, you said…

  — Nothing. Nothing Liz he's crazy, that's all, he ought to be locked up for his own good, what the hell do we need furniture for. This God damn bank look at it, three payments behind on that loan they're threatening to wipe me out now they're trying to sell me furniture. All we've got is furniture!

  — I just wish we did. I just wish I could look up and see something of mine sometimes, those two marquetry chests could go right in the…

  — Look they're not going anywhere without paying the God damn storage bill, get all that stuff in here where the hell would we put it.

  — We could, someday if we could take out that wall in the living room onto the porch? just open it all up and put in an arch there right out onto the porch and glass it all in, the whole porch, and that old piano from Longview we could…

  — Pull out that wall the whole God damn house would fall down Liz what are you talking about, rent somebody's house you want to start knocking walls down? Paper tore.

  — I just said, someday…

  — Gustav Schak MD, two hundred sixty dollars. Who the hell is Gustav Schak.

  — The one I saw last week, the one Jack Orsini sent me to and I had that terrible…

  — One visit? Two hundred sixty dollars for one visit?

  — Well they did those tests I told you, how awful his nurse was shouting at me I could hardly breathe, that spirometry test I was right in the middle of a spasm and she was shouting at me about…

  — Spirometry eighty dollars. CC one hundred dollars, what the hell is CC. Comprehensive consultation, what the…

  — Well I don't know Paul! It was all so confused, I felt so awful and his nurse was so rude and he was in such a rush he was leaving for a golf vacation in Palm Springs, I hardly saw him for ten minutes. He got me in as a favour to Orsini, because they need to know what these tests say when I see this specialist next week, this Doctor Kissinger I'm seeing next week and Doctor Schak is sending over the…

  — Yes all right Liz, all right but Christ. Two hundred and six…

  — I can't help it! I, I don't know what else to…

  — All right look. Just send him twenty five dollars and write payment in full on the check. Can you call Orsini?

  — I did. He's in Geneva. Some big convention of neurologists or something in Geneva.

  — So he goes over, reads a paper, gets in a little skiing at Kitzbühel, stops at Deauville to check out his horses, takes the whole God damn thing off his taxes and he's back in town just in time for another giant publishing party, another giant paperback success…

  — But he's been kind to me Paul, he's always been generous with…

  — Generous? after the way your father set him up? Look I want to talk to him Liz, the next time you hear from Orsini I want to talk to him.

  — I wouldn't Paul I just wouldn't, if he thinks you're interfering with that research thing Daddy set up for him he'll be furious I know he will, he'll be…

  — I'm not interfering with a God damn thing, that's not what I want to talk to him about now God damn it Liz don't tell me what to do! He brought the bottle tipped over his glass, — what's that one.

  — This? She handed it over, — I can't even tell what country it's from.

  — Zaire. Who the hell do we know in, wait. Here, it's for McCandless, stick it up in the door there with the rest of his, where the hell is my VA check… Paper tore, — from those insurance bastards. In order to complete their records in this case pending trial they
would like you to make an appointment for a medical examination relevant to your claims against this God damn airline what the hell are they…

  — I don't know! I've had seven of them, ten I don't know how many it was four years ago, I don't even remember where I told them it hurt, I can't even…

  — Well I can… the paper crumpled in his hand, — bastards. I can tell them, dizziness, headaches… He smoothed it out on the table. — Your failure to complete this appointment may jeopardize your claim for injuries sustained in, I can tell them.

  Her head had sunk into her hand where she held it, pulling a deep breath, stood abruptly with a step to the sink for a paper towel blowing her nose there, again with a hollow urgency, looking out. Streetlight brought down another leaf or two on the terrace. — When do you want to eat, she finally said.

  — Give me some ice while you're up, will you?

  She stood there, looking out. — Paul?

  — Who do you know in Eleuthera.

  — Nobody she said, the paper towel knotted tight in her hand, turning for the harsh chromo of boats on green water. — Oh it's Edie, a card from Edie.

  — She still dragging that Indian around?

  — I don't know. I just so long to see her.

  — Well I can live without her, I'll tell you that.

  — I just wish you wouldn't always have to say that, she's the only, Edie's always been my best friend always, she always…

  — Look after the way Grimes fixed me up what do you expect me to…

  — That wasn't Edie! Do you think she tells her father what to do? she even knows what he does? That was you and Mister Grimes and the company after Daddy, did I ever tell Daddy what to do? Did anybody ever blame me for Daddy?

  — All right Liz but God damn it, Edie saw what happened didn't she? when your father was out and Grimes moved up as chairman? Grimes got what he wanted didn't he? did he have to push me out too? Couldn't Edie, your best friend Edie couldn't she even put in a word? Right now couldn't she? One word from Grimes to Adolph, one word anyplace one word from Grimes to this God damn airline he sits on their board, he sits on the board of their God damn insurance company too this one, this one right here the one that wrote you this letter, Grimes pulled it off before didn't he? that policy VCR had on your father? Some question how your father met his death and they dig in their heels, Grimes takes off his VCR hat and puts on his insurance company hat, they pay off the twenty million without a whimper, VCR cash flow picks up their stock jumps a few points and there's Grimes back in the driver's seat, whole thing was God damn strange Liz. That twenty million coming right when they needed it did you get me some ice?

  She steadied a hand on the chair, sat down and said — no, near a whisper.

  — I mean it's yours it's going to be yours, one word to Adolph to release a few thousand we'd be out of the hole, it's just taking part of what's ours out a little ahead of time, part of what's accumulated in the trust we won't even miss it when the whole thing comes through it's nothing, a few thousand, one word to Adolph and we'd be…

  — Well he won't. Billy just talked to Adolph and he won't even…

  — Billy that God damn Billy! What the hell does he do with it, he gets as much from the trust every month what does he do with it! You see him just now? he walks into Adolph looking like that what's Adolph going to do, dig into the trust for you and there's Billy with a dirty hand out? What the hell does he do with it! Liz?

  — What.

  — I said he gets as much as…

  — Well what do we do with it! The paper towel came apart in her hands — what do we do with it, we get as much as he does Paul what do we do with it!

  — No now wait Liz that's, wait. We're trying to do something, trying to do something Liz trying to live like civilized, get out of the God damn hole here live like civilized people Liz I'm trying to build something here, have something to show for it he just wants to show his contempt for it, for everything, worse the use he can find for it the better that's what he does with it. Rock bands, queers, spades out there dealing drugs and all this Buddhist crap you know he just tried to pull that on me again out there? that karma crap he got from those Tibetan creeps he had following him around? Same thing Liz the same God damn thing, that greasy little burr head monk in the red blanket doing him a favour taking his money same God damn thing, giving him a chance to show his contempt for the money, show his contempt for the people he gives it to and the system it came out of like all these God damn kids parading around with their guitars and their hair dyed pink they'll scam, con, deal, the worse fraud they can skim a few dollars off of the better the one God damn thing they won't do is work for it, did he ever earn a nickel? work one God damn day in his life?

  — Well he has Paul, he has, that's why he was here just now he'd been driving a…

  — Borrow some money, that's why he was here just now wasn't it? tried to borrow some money?

  — Well but that's not the…

  — What I'm telling you Liz, what I'm trying to tell you. Work for money means you've got some respect for it, he just wants it to show his contempt for anybody that works for it, anybody trying to do something, trying to put things together, build something like your father did we both know that's what it's about Liz, what the whole God damn thing is about. I came in there your father could see I'd go in and do the job, that I could step in and size things up, see the big picture and take a few risks to bring it off everything your God damn brother will never do, won't even try to that's why he's still getting back at me, getting back at your father, getting back at anybody who's trying to do the job just get out of the hole here. Get that alimony load off my back they've scheduled the hearing, that should be any day now just these bills, all these God damn bills… He raised the glass and brought it away, pulling a hand over his mouth — tell me how I always get this glass with the chip in the rim? Liz?

  — What.

  — I just asked you the, problem I just think you don't really listen to me sometimes, don't really get in there and back me up trying to tell you what I'm trying to do here, trying to put the pieces together your God damn brother in there pulling them apart I'm getting things going Liz, three or four things I've got a spade in here from Guinea says he's in parliament there, polo coat grease spots down the front of it he's got the State Department sending him around to look at prisons and broilers, get their prison system out of the tenth century and set up broiler production may have to take him out to Terre Haute broiler farms and a big federal prison right down the road work it in with this other big client, big drug company's got these animal nutritionists from Europe want to see pigs, Terre Haute's got to be pigs get them out there and show them the pigs and this Ude, this Reverend Ude you said called? Nickel and dime radio station going right into nationwide television global coverage he's already moved in on these African missions, spread the gospel get things moving he's already got this Voice of Salvation radio station right out there Liz, old stamping grounds move in take a few risks and bring it off just get out of the hole here, all these God damn bills here look at them bank loans, storage, travel cards, Diners Club American Express lawyers doctors, ask what we do with the money that's what we do with it, one visit two hundred sixty dollars for one visit that's what you…

  — I can't help it Paul! If you, do you think I like it going to doctors? Like going to, like you going to restaurants? Plane tickets, car rentals motel bills hotels that's what all this is do you think I…

  — Look, just once. Let's try to get this straight just once, Liz. I'm trying to get something going. You don't get something going over a ham sandwich and a beer. You don't take the Greyhound bus and stay at the Y when you're digging up new accounts. You don't nickel and dime unless all you're after is nickels and dimes and you won't even get those now look, I've got a couple of…

  — Put it out, Paul.

  — What?

  — The cigarette. Put it out.

  Instead he swept up his glass and
turned abruptly through the doorway, in to stand before the empty fireplace drawing smoke, blowing it out, staring back at the wet rag on the wet floor under the stairs. — Liz…? He threw the cigarette smoking into the grate. — Got to do something about this God damn toilet. Liz?

  — What.

  — I said we can't live like this. Try to live like civilized people your brother comes in here pisses all over the floor we can't even…

  — All right! Just leave it, I'll clean it up just leave it.

  — Anyplace he goes, somebody cleaning up after him every God damn place he goes. You clean up, Adolph cleans up that's all Adolph's ever done is clean up after him. That car wreck in Encino? and Yale? He's kicked out of every school he gets near so they buy his way into Yale, you know what he told me once? that they'd held him back in eighth grade because he was such a great hockey player? You know God damn well why they…

  — Paul what's the point! You shout at me, Billy shouts at me as though I could do anything, as though I'm to blame what's the point! It's almost over, a few more months he'll be twenty five what's the point of…

  — The point Liz, the point is he ought to be locked up, he ought to be locked up till he's twenty five or he'll never be twenty five. The point is this trust brings in about five percent, Adolph says he can't invest for income what about Grimes? He sits on the board of the bank that's co-trustee doesn't he? One word from Grimes, do you think he'd say one word for any of us? with Billy in there? that party they found Squeekie passed out naked in your father's bathtub when she was fifteen do you think her father's going to raise a…

  — Oh Paul that was a story, that never happened it was just a story that somebody…

  — That Edie, she's Edie's sister isn't she? Isn't that how we knew, from Edie? after your father called Grimes? You think Grimes would raise a finger for any of us after that? Adolph can't invest it for income he has to invest for long term growth, one word from Grimes to his God damn bank it could be bringing in twelve percent, fifteen, you think he'll say it? With Adolph handing it right out to clean up after Billy, that Indian Mexican whatever she was Adolph paying her off and this Sheila, buying a ticket to get her and her guitar and dope and mantras and the rest of her Buddhist junk on a plane to India, long term growth what long term? Some next generation that's going to look like a God damn zoo? Billy out there sticking it into anything that walks and Adolph right behind them pulling down their skirts and paying them off so they won't put a monkey in the family tree and we can't even do that, we can't even…