In An Arid Land Read Online Free Page A

understand. He even goes back to the old house at times for a look, just a look."
    "I see," says Angelica. And then to the old man: "Stop in anytime, Mr. Morris, we'd love to have you."
    He seems to comprehend this, to be of this world again, and he eyes her again in that direct, almost aggressive way of his.
    The daughter says, "Papa? Well yes, why don't you take a walk. But you'll have to put your shoes on, Papa, and your hat."
    Angelica writes out a check as the daughter gets him up and helps him prepare. She guides him out the door and sends him down the drive to the sidewalk. Back inside she apologizes for her father, makes excuses for his age and the loss of his mind.
    "You must look familiar to him," the daughter says. "Mother had black hair too, and wore glasses."
    Angelica takes the key to her new house and leaves.
    The old man, tall but stooped under his floppy hat, his trousers dragging the pavement of the sidewalk, his cane tapping, is halfway down the block when she drives by. She waves but he does not look up.

    It's late October now and the leaves are changing. The town is canopied in bright shades of yellow and red. The air is crisp, easy to inhale. On the front doors of the houses in the neighborhood hang plastic images of jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witches. In the weeks since Angelica and the boys moved in to the house life has passed peacefully and well. They have settled in, made a home with their things around them and their routines re-established. But today something is wrong, something is up.
    The boys sense it as a danger. She was late to pick them up at the day care, spanked Gabe over nothing and in the car there is an ominous silence. By the time they reach the house the boys are frightened of her mood and go to their rooms to play alone.
    She believes she can trace what is wrong, trace it to its origins. For lunch that day she went with several colleagues to the Union. There were six of them, four women and two men. They talked shop, complained and commiserated. It was pleasant and relaxing and they were all cheerful when they got up to leave.
    But one of them, a man named Alfred who works in Admissions, a nice man, heavyset and bearded, with curly graying hair and a tiny, tiny nose, a gentle man Alfred asked her to wait a moment, he wanted to speak to her. The others grinned among themselves and as they were leaving they glanced back with knowing eyes.
    Alfred, who has always been rather formal with her, said he had been meaning to speak to her for several weeks but had wanted to avoid seeming "pushy and unfair to Jorge." He wanted to know if she would "consent," it is the very word he used, to his asking her out to dinner. He thought enough time had passed and there was no point in their both being alone so often. Alfred is divorced and has a daughter he sees on weekends. He is known as a good man, an honorable man, a conscientious man, even if he is heavyset and slow of speech and just slightly on the ugly side. She has known him for many years now and has always liked him.
    This, however ... this she has not expected. She has not yet even considered seeing other men. It has been so long, and even in her youth she dated very little. She and Jorge never really "dated" at all in the common way; they were acquaintances and then lovers and then married in a matter of months. And what would she talk about with some other man, even Alfred Dunn? There is nothing to her but Jorge and the boys and her work, and he knows all about her work. No, she was not ready, is not ready, doesn't even want to be ready. Besides, she has too much to do, to think about, to be going out nights.
    So she said to Alfred, "Thank you but I couldn't, not yet."
    "I see," said Alfred in his gentle way. "I understand."
    He looked so dejected! But why? This is Angelica, only Angelica. There are plenty of others, ask them. But then, for reasons she could not fathom, she said, "Well, all right, I'll tell you what, let me think about