AZOTUSLAND chapter twenty seven

The game continued down the estate and Jim heard many shrieks of laughter but missed Han's of terror. When everyone was down the hill a bit, his attention became diverted and he entered the Gallery. He looked at the "Swensons" on the wall and smiled. In the darkroom he turned on the safelights and Hans jumped.

"Hans! What are you doing?"

"Oh James, it was awful" he said.

"Look Hans...no worries," he said. "Take the rest of the day off with pay. I'll have Martine sign off on it, and I'll have Jonathan clean up in here."

"Oh dats good," Hans said. "My nerves are utterly shots."

At that moment one of the kids had run back up the hill to try his earlier shot again. As the ball rolled through the Gallery and clipped a remaining piece of glass, Hans fled the building leaving Jim alone.

Jim shut the doors and locked them then went through the darkroom and opened the right hand door to Silo 1.

Down the stairs he went and was gone for many hours.

*******

Carver was really pleased not only by his overall design and many features that had actually work, he really liked the "rampart drop" which he had figured out. The ball would go down the main walk and slope into a collector, then out a tube that was filled with felt so it slowed the ball down to a crawl. He and Lucille had come up with that and they worked it out until it worked.

The ball would hit the felt then drop about twenty feet and hit a planter box affixed to the side of the rampart. It had long since been abandoned because it was to hard to water and was just eccentric. They had asked Juan to cut a hole on the far end of the old planter that was positioned just above the door of the Azotus Theater. Then they requested a new planter be fastened over that door and a pipe be plugged into the far end which would continue the game.

It was probably the most ambitious aspect of the project. But it worked four out of eleven times. The other balls skipped off the wall, came out too fast and otherwise ended up "in the rough".

High above Maugham laughed watching the scene below and he put his arm around Martine and give her a pull in side hug.

Templar seemed very amused, and Manfred kept leaping about clapping his hands and saying "Oh what a wonderfulness is this!!!"

Sex looked after her kids and was pretty impressed by her daughter. Little Antoine was having fun and she did not notice Jacon once again eyeing her. But at one point she looked up at the Deck and smiled at Simon who waved gently.

By 1:45 they were at the far end of the course where they could remove strokes by hitting through various wickets that were very hard and down a steep cement hill.

It was close, and the contest was won by a 13 year-old named Scott who hit an unbelievable shot 25 feet down the hill through the most difficult wicket, subtracting four from his score and making him winner.

Afterward all the kids and parents went to the Batcave were they stood and watched highlights that had been taken by Jonathan on a Mini-DV cam.

Of course it included his running commentary.

******

The lecture on Cubism was cancelled and Martine pasted a signed saying so and had Andy update the site online.

Jim showed up later and bought a copy of Gene Black's chapbook and thanked him for coming. On the side he asked him to review a paper he was preparing for publication and Black grunted his willingness to have a look.

Jim was tired but took twenty minutes alone to sit quietly, cry a bit and have two glasses of wine before showering (more of a rinse) and heading to the Cafe for the later shift.

At 3 p.m. Maugham had stopped into the upper Cafe and had told Martine that he had something for her to look at and would she come up for a few.

Renata was still there and Rand was hanging. Mostly the place had emptied after the game.

Martine walked upstairs and when she came in, Maugham shut the door behind her and kissed her hard.

She moaned under him and took the kiss both softer and deeper. He managed to lock the door just before she pulled him past the large curtains, behind and to the bed.

"Huh huh huh-uhhhh," she ached and panted a few minutes later, then became quieter biting her lip, again and again her nostrils flaring wildly. "oh god..." she let out. "Huh huh huh...oh god..."

Four levels below, in the quiet earth of Silo 1 Jim stopped biting his lip and took a swig of hard cider. The plan was risky but it seemed necessary.

He picked up the phone and dialed Helen's number through a secure line.

She answered. He was not suprised.

"Helen, it's Jim," he said.

"About time" she replied. Then laughed and said "I thought I told you to never call me here."

"Yes, true enough" Jim said. Then you sent me 13 emails telling me goodbye, each one with your phone number at the end."

"What's your point?"

"Let's meet for a drink. Are you up for that?"

"I told you James," she said slowly. "we are done."

"Yes, I know that and understand. It's a problem with Azotus and I need you advice...that's all."

There was silence on the phone.

"What time and where?"

He gave her directions and set the time for 11:00.

"Why so late James?" she purred.

"They need me till late...but I had a nap. I'll be fine."

"Seeya then." click.

He was, frankly, exhausted. After he hung up he hit the second button on his diver's watch, which woke him up 12 minutes later in time to go upstairs and see Gene at the end of his signing.

*******

At 8:10 Maugham came through the big double doors and Jim asked him to lock the doors behind him.

He had been looking at a Swenson painting that he had bought in 1991. It was called "Bitterness" and was unlike all the Swenson's he had bought later which had a playfulness that he loved.

No this one was different. It had a large shark coming up from below through water and an awkward pyramid and a "Baby Rod", even though Swenson was 50, flying through the air naked and vulnerable.

There was also a target or bullseye on the painting. For a Swenson, it was dark.

"What do you think of this Maug?"

"It's never been one of my favorites," he said. I've always liked Bob the Dog.

"Well it's a fitting one for what we are up against," he said. "I think."

"Is this liek dream interpretation Jim?"

"Well, if so, where are you and where am I in the painting?"

"You are that guy in the sky," Maugham said. "Whoever this woman is, she is the shark..."

"...and ...hmnnn. oh great..."

"I always said you were a quick study. You want a drink?"

"Sure...uh where we gonna get that here?"

Follow me.

As they walked toward the darkroom Maugham was confused.

"How long you known me Maug?" Jim asked.

""Um...seems like forever Jim," he laughed.

"Well you don''t know everything about me."

"I know that," Maugham said. "when it comes to you I don't like to pry...don;t need to."

"Fair enough," Jim said. "But you have wondered."

"Yeah. Sure. I'm not stupid. I just figured you'ld tell me when and if you wanted to."

By that time they were at the three doors.

"You got drinks in storage?" Maugham scoffed.

"Oh I got more than that old friend. Come on down and I'll show you."