Going in Style by Robert Grossbach

Author:Robert Grossbach [GROSSBACH, ROBERT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780446570084
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2009-11-29T05:00:00+00:00

In the park, squealing children ran back and forth under a water sprinkler while the old folks watched from nearby benches.

“Looks good,” said Joe. “I feel like going in there and joining ‘em.”

Willie nodded and patted his face with a handkerchief. He seemed unusually pale. Joe saw his lips working. Next to them on the bench, an old woman was listening to the news on a portable radio.

“You look like you’re sick,” said Joe. “You feel okay?”

“Fine,” said Willie. He belched, and the old woman turned away.

“Should we go get you some Alka-Seltzer or something?”

Willie shook his head. “Nah. The fresh air will take care of it.”

Joe stood up. One of the children had fallen while running through the shower. The little boy had landed heavily on his hands and knees; he was now screaming hysterically. Joe walked quickly over and lifted the howling child off the ground. “Shhh,” he said softly. “There, there. Easy. You’re okay.” Tears ran down the boy’s cheeks; he was only about four or five years old.

“Show me where it hurts,” said Joe.

“Hurts!” wailed the boy.

“Is it your knee?” Joe saw a young woman detach herself from a group of friends and amble in his direction.

“Yes,” said the boy bitterly. He held up his tiny hands. They were skinned, but not very badly.

“And your hands too?”

The boy shook his head yes. “I want Mommy!”

“Mommy’s coming,” said Joe. He was wet from the sprinkler, and the trickle of blood from the boy’s knee had made a small stain on his shirt. “Tell you what,” continued Joe, “when you get home, ask your Daddy to make you new hands and a new knee.”

“Out of wood?” asked the boy.

Joe wiped a tear from the little chin. “Sure… tell him to make them out of wood.”

The young woman was upon them now. She wore shorts; her hair was in curlers. She was chewing gum. She shook her head in disgust. Joe placed the boy on the ground, and he ran to his mother, hugging her hips and burying his face in her stomach.

“Two seconds!” she said angrily. “You can’t play for two seconds without something happening!” She detached him from herself and pulled him roughly along. “Let’s go! Come on! Now!” She headed back toward her friends without saying a single word to Joe.

Joe returned to the bench. “You know,” he said to Willie, “I don’t mind she didn’t thank me—that I don’t expect—but she didn’t even look at me. It’s like I didn’t exist.”

The old woman next to Willie turned down her radio. “For her you dont exist,” she offered. “If she doesn’t care about her son, you expect she should notice you?”

“I suppose not,” said Joe. He strained to hear. “Excuse me, could you turn up the radio a bit? I’d like to get the weather.”

The old woman looked at him skeptically, but nevertheless increased the volume. “… partly sunny, but with a chance of afternoon showers,” came the announcer’s voice. “Precipitation probability is thirty percent today, forty percent tonight and fifty percent tomorrow.

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