Redemption Mountain by FitzGerald Gerry

Author:FitzGerald, Gerry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

CHAPTER 21

Charlie was certain the store was on Lexington Avenue somewhere in the high Forties. It had been years since he’d been there, but he was a fairly frequent visitor when the kids were younger. It was hard to find, on the second floor over a luggage store and a camera shop, the kind of team sporting-goods store that Charlie thought must be unique to Manhattan. The store was more like a warehouse than a retail store, a labyrinth of high-ceilinged rooms connected by ramps, each piled high with brown boxes.

Even at 11:00 A.M., the store was busy. The clerks—hunchbacked old men who all acted like owners—were busy shepherding customers to the various sections of the store designated for each sport. Charlie found his way to a huge room stacked high with soccer equipment and got the attention of a salesman.

“Need uniforms for a soccer team,” Charlie said.

“Little late in the season, aren’tcha?”

“We’re starting over,” said Charlie with a smile. “Red shirts, black shorts, and red socks. Under-fourteen team, fifteen players.”

“Eighteen players,” said the clerk, motioning for Charlie to follow him. “That’s the package.”

“Okay, eighteen,” said Charlie. “And some black warm-up jackets.”

“How about some matching pants? Look real sharp,” said the salesman.

“Why not?” said Charlie.

The clerk pulled down several large boxes and showed Charlie the two shirt styles they had in stock. Charlie chose the more expensive of the two, a solid blood-red silk from Nike, with a black collar and stripes running down the sides. The lightweight black nylon shorts also had a red Nike swoosh. “Comes with numbers on the back,” said the salesman, “and for only five bucks more you could put the team name on the front of each shirt.”

“The Bones,” said Charlie.

The salesman smiled. “Got just the thing for you,” he said, leading Charlie over to a huge old book of logos and insignias. He leafed through the heavy book until he found the page he was looking for. There it was—a ferocious-looking silver skull and crossbones with red fire in the eyes. Charlie laughed, imagining the look on Pie’s face when he saw it.

“Put it on the back of the jackets, too,” said Charlie.

The salesman raised an eyebrow. “Getting a little pricey now, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Charlie smiled. “How about the pants?”

“Team must have rich parents,” said the clerk.

“Yeah,” said Charlie. “They’re all in the energy business.”

The order came to $3,500. “Take about two to three weeks—”

“I need it all in Red Bone, West Virginia, by next week,” said Charlie, pulling out his American Express card. “Make it an even four grand if you can get it all there by Monday.”

The clerk smiled as he took Charlie’s credit card. “Red Bone. Must be a real ritzy town.”

“Yeah, it’s quite a place,” said Charlie.

* * *

THE NOON RUSH hour was in full flurry when Charlie returned to the sidewalk. The revolving doors of the office buildings were spinning out the clerks, managers, and CEOs headed for lunch, shopping, or simply to enjoy the crisp fall air and a brisk midday walk in the world’s greatest city.

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