"Whadya mean 'does himself in'? So he jerks his old man's bird for a few weeks, then he does what he wants."

Annette smiled, her tongue slightly protruding between her teeth, and slowly shook her head.

"What, no." Butler sounded petulant, but he was starting to get worried.

"He's too scared," she whispered. "He'd never go against his old man."

"Don't sound like that to me." Butler felt shaky.

Annette smiled. "You don't think so, hah?"

Butler didn't answer.

"Well"—she grabbed her bag and hitched it over her shoulder—"I gotta go. Tell 'im I'm lookin' for 'im, although I really don't think he's gonna wanna talk to me, but, ah, you're his friend, why don't you check him out?"

"He ain't talkin' to me either."

21

MONDAY MORNING Stony dressed in new, stiff dungarees and a tight white T-shirt. Tommy peeked in as Stony laced his boots. "You look more like a 'lectrician than me." He had oily chinos and a T-shirt rolled and wrapped in a tool belt under his arm.

When they got into Tommy's car, Tommy reached under his seat for a box. "Here's a present from me an' Chubby."

Stony opened the box. Inside was a white canvas tool belt, pliers, a screwdriver and a pair of channel locks. "Thanks."

Tommy winked and started the car. "That's all you'll prob'ly need today. I was gonna get you some wire clippers but I forgot. How you feel?"

"O.K.," Stony lied. He felt as if he were going to vomit. He couldn't sleep all night, and he had a headache. The tools in his lap weighed a ton. He was afraid of doing something stupid on the job. He was afraid that the guys would think he was a skinny faggot. He was afraid the guys were going to razz him about being Tommy's son. He hadn't felt this nervous since his first game for the Mount three years ago.

Tommy was exploding inside with pride and excitement. He had waited for this day since Stony was a little kid. He was proud of Stony's physique and strength. All the guys knew Stony had been a halfback for the Mount because Tommy had reminded them everyday for the last six months. He was a little worried about the teasing Stony would get the first day on the job, but everybody had to go through that. Last night Tommy lay awake in bed playing out that one moment when he would walk into the electricians' shanty with his arm around Stony and say, "This is my son."

When they arrived at the site, a high-rise luxury apartment going up in Riverdale, they sat in the parked car.

Tommy looked at his watch. "We got a few minutes. How you doin'?"

Stony looked through the link fence across the street. The thirty-story skeleton of the high rise towered over everything. He noticed the rows of wooden shanties and men in hard hats walking about. The parched dirt around the site was littered with wooden planks bridging potholes.