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Have ever since I was a little boy and woke
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Have ever since I was a little boy and woke up one
morning on a camping trip with my folks to
discover I was sharing my sleeping bag with a
milkieIt had actually worked its way into my
undershirtIt sprayed me with muskI thought I
was fucking poisonedAre you satisfied?"
928
"Yes," I said"Did you tell her that story before
or after she told you about the snake infestation
on the south end?"
Stiffly, he said: "I don't rememberI see what you're saying
- she wanted to keep me away
I didn't say it, you did, I thoughtWhat I said
was, "It's mostly Jack I'm worried aboutBut it's
better to be safe
"Me?" Jack looked startled"I don't have anything
against snakesAnd I know what poison oak and
poison ivy look like
"Trust me on this," I said, and began to sketch
himI worked quickly, resisting the urge to go
into detailas part of me seemed to want to do
While I was working, the first angry car horn
began to honk on the coast side of the drawbridge
"Sounds to me like the drawbridge is stuck again,"
Jack said
"Yes," I agreed, not looking up from my drawing
v
929
I sped along even more quickly with Wireman's
sketch, but I again found myself having to fight
the urge to fall into the workbecause when I
was in the work, the pain and grief were at bay
The work was like a drugBut there would be only
so much daylight, and I didn't want to meet Emery
again any more than Wireman didWhat I wanted was
for this to be over and for the three of us to be
off-island - far off-island - by the time those
sunset colors started to rise out of the GulfI had done Jack in blue and
Wireman in blaze or |