O+F

curving around prominent teeth. Beautiful,

another woman said, guiding t

t got

ned down, traveled around, and tur

eart. Turn

e's the husband? Probably one of those jerks in a Land Rover. A bad golfer. Cheats. Christ. Oliver drank the rest of his coffee and prepared to leave. As he slid sideways across the green plastic seat, he again caught the

ly to the ground. Francesca-what a smile! She reminded him of the young Sinatra in From Here To Eternity, awkward and graceful at the same time. The friend was heavier and lo

ve Oil!" George Goodbea

my hands," Oliver

day to die,

we rom

p passed at high speed, hitting a pothole and splattering mud acr

. "Ahh," Oliver said,

he weather, the worse t

isn't eve

s," Geor

ack walnut," Oliver sai

had eyes th

I should

rt for her,"

hose short people in Holly

" Oliver said.

ou doing wi

ecided-may

ou ought to come over; I'm g

ing w

. Small

." Oliver pointed at t

e sto

morrow morning, if you

, I'l

spirited as the red and black tugs that herd tankers to the Montreal pipeline, nothing could match the tugboats-but the ferry was close; it had the human touch, a dory that couldn't stay away from cheesecake, broad in the b

nd by his former house. No lights were on, no sign of anyone home. He continued around the block, surprised at his disappointment. He hadn't seen Charlotte for six months and h

He was telling Owl about Kiersten, how she wouldn't take him seriously, her smile always for Gary-star everything. Owl's voice was sympathetic but with a di

inly not where Kiersten was concerned. God, she'd driven everybody crazy. Territory-now that was different. You want your own territory, your own mate, your house, your space. It st

Thank God for waitresses. He left a

le were packing it in early, finding strength in numbers. "A Guinness," he ordered, "for this fine March day." Sam set a dark glas

tz . . . " Her voice, the fiddle, the stately waltz told the old story: "stole my sweetheart from me . . . " One w

said to Mark Barnes, wh

How you do

Tom Waits belting out, Jersey Girl. "Another classic," Oliver said. Tragedy was just offstage

s fine,

dancer in town. How d

k said. "One glance acro

have eyes only for each other. Although, I did see a beauty in Be

ind of

k pantser, I'm pretty sure

Tall chick?

a chick, exactly. M

glia

in Cape Elizabeth. I was in

take yoga,"

. That was years ago. She married

it," Oli

ancers came to Portland, walked around the block a couple of times

nk of settling do

Who do you like in

iver said. "Smug. Br

es scale the job ladder. He was amused and ironic about it.

Rich

acknowledged no boss but "The Man Upstairs," shuffled to his customary place at a long table on the oth

smile!" O

y," Mark said. "You'd never know it-

that smile. I thought he'd say something like: it was his mother's. He said,

en't had a drink on Richard," Mark

oo

this plowman's lunch." Oliver sat on a w

e," he said. "Wh

over the table and lowered his voice. "One of the supervisors is a bit rigid. I hear about it, you know. I've tried to talk to h

ce," Oliver said, cutt

you doing

Oliver said. "Not sure what to do next. Sometim

ing, "you've got to trust The Man Upstairs. It's His plan." Thi

on it." Oliver took a

n you can." Oliver didn't think in terms of other people. He related to them as required, but his focus was inward. He imagined Richard's process: let's see, I feel bad; therefore, it's time to find person X who is worse off than I am and help him

, "good with this cheese. What

s proud of the watch, wore it every day. He used to go to people and say, 'I'm having a little trouble reading this,' and then he'd hold his wrist up." Richard raised his arm proudly out in front of him. "An

d. She had dark eyes and bleached blo

ly. How

.K

know O

raising him. Oliver felt about a

tal. That cigarette isn't d

nag,

" Richard lit up the

lly felt in her p

drinking?" R

the end of the bench and standing. Sally to

rm," Ric

et. He considered stopping at Giobbi's Restaurant, but he turned up Danforth and walked to State S

tomcat's head and yellow eyes. He padded deliberately over to the lengths of walnut leaning upright in one corner of the room and scratched luxuriously, stretching full length, as though he had been waiting to do this for some time. "Aieee! Swell, Verdi." Oliver hung his

hind his building. It shaded his kitchen window during the summer and dropped hundreds of furry green walnuts that were gathered by squirrels each fall. Oliver had planted six walnuts in yogurt containers. He

enty of space for a table in the center. The wall to the adjoining living room had been mostly removed; the two rooms functioned as one. Steps led to a lan

a cradle once for a wedding present. He had a table saw and a router in the basement, but he kept his tools under a rough workbench that he

Oliver took particular pleasure in finishing a shelf or a chest, hand rubbing the surface and seeing the patterns of the grain shine and deepen. He would have to buy legs i

Who would care? He had an impulse to pu

f a war story. The teacher had accompanied a couple of his Navy buddies to the bow of their ship; one of them was bragging that he would dive. The captain

s short square frame, but there was more muscle than fat under his skin; he could move quickly when he wished. He had a wide serious mouth with strong teeth. His eyebrows and hair were bla

and tea on a tray and carried it upstairs. His mattress was on the floor next to a window set low in the wall, under the eaves. He lay down, munched toast, and watched the snow falling and blowing. When he turned

hing, and he was answering. Her question was more complicated than he had thought at Becky's Diner. Were they the same? Was she beautiful? Was he