The chart is color-coded on construction paper, three feet by four feet unrolled, eraser-streaked, specific. Hiram goes at the table’s head. This is a particular that never varies—Hiram’s inked in—because who would dare steal this man’s place? According to the chart, Hiram sits with his back to the rose window, in a wooden chair that resembles—what else—a throne. Hiram, eating dinner, looks tiny in his oversize chair; all that is visible of him is the crown of his head and speckled hands reaching up from below the table’s edge to grasp cutlery. Fortunately, Donovan’s place is on Hiram’s left. Donovan carves the old man’s vegetables into squares and manually helps Hiram lift fork to mouth. This is moving and dispiriting to watch. The table’s corner, directly to the left of Donovan, is where Lester belongs. Lester and Donovan look alike and celebrate the same birthday, though Donovan is the older of the two by several years. Lester keeps Donovan company while Donovan slices food for Hiram. These men are old pals. Around the corner from them, at the first setting along the oak table’s protracted straightaway, is their brother Porter. Following Porter on the seating chart are Chuck, Henry, Drake, Eric, and Phil. All these names are written in lemon yellow pencil. After that it’s downhill for many chairs. Frank, Noah, Jim, Vaughan, Dennis, Tom, and a few others occupy a blue-designated “quiet zone” in which nobody talks except to request salt or the potatoes. The quiet zone was founded long ago, by Jim, who at some point decided that our dinner hour had become so clamorous he couldn’t stand it. It goes without saying that they get a lot of grief, these quiet eaters, from across the table. First on Hiram’s right comes Richard. Hiram likes Richard and Richard is fond of Hiram; both are sufferers in the body, and maybe that’s the reason; Richard, as I think I have mentioned, has that neurological problem. Who cares to watch his head bob wildly as he raises his glass to drink? Seamus is often asleep and probably that is why Jeremiah seats him next to the jiggling man. Seamus and Hiram reminisce about long-ago football glories whenever Seamus is not dozing in his chair. Around this right-hand corner, then, comes a gang of buddies all in a line. Ralph, Nick, Allan, Jacob, Aaron, and Raymond sit together, have sat together, in the same seats, for as long as anyone remembers. They’re polite as a rule, though they raise their voices when the talk turns to money. After this group come rowdies who drink far too much red wine and make loud trouble for the quiet zone opposite. Everyone agrees Topper, Temple, Denzil, Fish, and Mongo should be relocated, but for reasons of his own Jeremiah won’t approve. Dining next to Mongo is Simon, who hates every minute. Jonathan’s chair is beside Simon’s. Next the chart shows, in bold red crayon, a three-man “medical” block consisting of Anton, Irving, and our physician, Barry.