AZOTUSLAND chapter thirty seven

Delphia took son Liam by the hand and led him into the small park and she stood to watch him play. His bright wide eyes took everything in and he wanted to be watched.

"Look momma look!" was a regular phrase but when she would sit and think off he was not offended as another child might be.

She stood by the gate and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the pined air.

Jim had been lunching about 80 feet away with his daughter on a nice assortment of sliced apples, cheeses and a candy bar that Sabine had put in the box.

He liked Sabine. It had not been a good marriage by any means, but he respected her and loved her in his own way.

When they were done he walked over to the trash and got rid of stuff and Jim made for the play area with Matisse, who promptl;y ran off once inside.

He took a look around. Nice.

Then he saw Ked Woman standing not five feet from him and he gulped.

She was wearing a grey tank covered by forest green overalls. Her willowy hair came down on her shoulders. He noted her overalled shape which was tall and hormonally disturbing... and then he saw the Keds.

She could have been 9 and the sort of girl he would have wanted, at nine himself, to chase him around the playground, each pretending they did not like each other.

"Damn" he thought. Then he thought of her curled up with Jacob at the movie night and he shifted gears.

"Hi," he said warmly. "I'm Jim."

"Yes, you are" she smiled brightly.

"I'm Delphia," she said and my son Liam is over there with your daughter Matisse."

"Yer a quick study," Jim said.

"Yer not exactly anonymous," she said in a sweet voice.

"Would you like to sit down?" Jim asked. And they took up a bench.

*********

Muagham was back at the IC running programs and then he hiked up to Ops and checked his email.

Another "note":

Hi Maug,
Have a nice swim last night? With friends like you Jim is a deadman.
Rnonymous

This is "a confederacy of dunces" Maugham thought aloud. "And I am fast becoming head clown."

He thought back to the last 24 hours and all its revelations. He had no idea that Jim had layers behind the layers that Maugham had always suspected. But at the same time he was touched. Yes, he would take a bullet for that man...maybe more than a few.

He had no idea what to do with Jim secret world. He knew that only he was privy, or so he suspected. Still, well...oh well.

********

Jim and Delphia talked, laughed and just generally got on in a natural way. He liked her openess and also her depth.

At one point Matisse came over and said "come come" and they went over near the swings.

"This is Liam" Jim said to Matisse and she threw her head back, laughed and said "Oh yeah..well okay!" Then she and Liam laughed and began to swing.

Jim got behind and pushed them both as Delphia watched and then he walked over and stood with her.

They were chatting in a general sense when a Latino woman walked by and gave Jim a "look."

He didn't notice until she mentioned it.

"Been a long time since a man or woman looked at me that way," she said laughing at him quietly.

"Oh I dunno," Jim said. "Jacob looked at you pretty good last I heard."

She laughed and punched him in the arm.

He was smitten just then and he realized that he wanted Ked Woman, Delphia, to look at him that way.

He excused himself and went to sit on the bench and catch his breath.

She thought him a bit odd, but she had heard he was eccentric. Still, she liked him.