It was sad to see Bobby do this but there was no need to drive him off with a lecture. And she had to get in the rest of her Carl and Maizie story. Those two were under her skin like bugs but it was hard to talk about it with all of the refrigerator stuff going on. Her story was rambling and incoherent but Bobby was quick; he got the gist of it. She felt better to get it out, and he listened with empathy. He kissed her tears away and carried her to bed, pulled back the sheets, white satin sheets, and Bobby remembered. Said, “White satin sheets and an ultra-firm Posturpedic. One hundred percent goose-down pillows. I often thought of you in these delicious circumstances while I was racked out in jail. You here, me there. Muslin sheets, a foam pad, and a steel slab are hard to take in your middle age; one develops delicate sensibilities as the years go by. Don’t you find this to be true?”

It had been so long since a man touched her she practically came when he picked her up. He brought her to orgasms that were like epileptic seizures and dropped her into a deep and peaceful slumber from which she hoped never to return. Daykeeper #2, Lucille, came by to cook supper and help her with her toilet. After an hour of TV, Lucille put her to bed where she discovered a note from Bobby.

He promised to call back around nine and he did call, exactly at nine. “Hello.” Somebody actually, finally did something they promised they would do.

“Hi.”

“What are you playing? What’s that music?”

“Mozart.”

“Mozart? How long since Mozart? Time gallops anymore, even in jail. A year is a day.” She heard him flip his Zippo, click the little carbon wheel and heard the small dull bap of ignition, a small explosion. She could picture the orange and blue flame. Then she heard him click the lighter shut and take a deep drag off a cigarette, exhale, and then fuss with his mouth, picking small strings of dark brown tobacco off his tongue. Bobby smoked straight Gauloises. He said, “Has what’s-huh-name gone? The helper.”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” Puff. He really sucked on a cigarette. Really liked to smoke. He said, “Ain’t it frightenin’? All alone for the night?”

“No, this is the best time. Why did you rush off? Why did you leave?”