AZOTUSLAND Chapter Eighty-Two

That Saturday morning against her better judgment Sabine dropped Matisse at her father's cafe. Matty ran passed the Batcave and hit the door on the elevator. Then she took out a key from her change purse and put it in the slot and it took her a floor down. She ran through the newly refurbished hall, through Maugham's office saying "Hi!" quickly to a tired Maugham and then ran up the stairs down the short way and turned right and descended into Silo 3.

She stopped short and sort of tip-toed to the edge of the pond and took her shoes off and dipped her fee into the tray. 10Cents came up and kissed her legs and she laughed and said "Where's Papi?"

Then she went to her own bedroom door and opened it and bounced on the bed and looked at her fish and crusteceans and sat down on her bed and felt a wild mix of joy and sadness.

She lay her head down and wondered where her Papi was.

*********

Maugham was actually packing a bag and getting ready to hit a flight out of SFO. He was supposed to meet Alabaster for a first date the next night, on a Sunday night in Seattle down at the Waterfront Seafood Grill. He had no idea how he was gonna play it out. Obviously he could not actually meet her, but he might find a way to find out more about her.

Martine looked at him in a worried way. "You have your game face on" she said. "That worries me."

"I'll be fine," he said. "We have to do this. I have to do this. It'll be fine I know this woman..at least enough."

Martine had heard the full story from Maugham so she did know.

"She's a sociopath," she said. "Be careful."

Maugham stopped and smiled and came over to her and stretched his long body on top of hers and looked into her eyes and said "I am clear."

She smiled back at him and believed.

*************

Jim was up on the deck trying to reason wuith Ted who was coming apart. Maybe Jim had pushed him too fast...it was unclear but Ted was angry and felt manipulated even though Jim had assured him he was not and his offer was honest and clean.

It didn't fit for Ted. He needed air and it felt foreign to him. Jim looked like a devil and he felt his wordl was spinning so he simply lashed out and toldf Jim to "fuck off."

Then he left and went down and sulked in his Suburban.

*************

In the meanwhile Renata had gone home and thrown up in the sink in front of Rand. He came and massaged her sweet shoulders and grabbed some massage oil and worked it into her arms and whispered how much he loved her and nipped her ears like a new lover. She laughed...then puked again.

*************

Manfred went down to Andy's for a change of pace and they downloaded a few old episodes off the Internet of Dark Shadows . Manfred brought down two tubs of Jim's ice cream and some chocolate sauce and they settled in for a long night of viewing.

***********

An hour after Matisse had arrived Jim came down and found her. She was tear-stained and his heart ached. There was nor clear way to make it better. It just was. He asked if she wanted to go to the fish store and look and she did. they left together hand in hand.

**********

Maugham had Martine drop him at SFO and he kissed her hard and said "No worries." Then he headed to the Southwest desk to confirm his flight. He had only a carry-on and no real plan.

He sat in the waiting area after an exhaustive search of all that he possessed and settled in and thought about Jim. He knew that Jim was, in many ways a magnet for life. It was always there. Maugham himself was drawn in by this enigmatic man. But somehow he had moved into real relationship with an utterly wierd introvert who looked like and extrovert.

The woman...Candice was a perfect example, it seemed to Maugham. Deeply ambitious, sensuous and sexual and wanting the world...she had met Jim and seen his potential. She had played it...but he withdrew, as he inevitably did, when she showed her real intent.

Jim was perpetually broken-hearted for reasons Maugham could not understand.

He sat and thought about the last time he had seen Candice. "Should have banged that bitch's lights out," he thought...then felt foolish. No. He had been right to walk.

Gotta trust your gut.