Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Author:Kate Jacobs
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.
Published: 2010-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

eighteen

Marty drummed his fingers on a table in his deli as he waited for Nathan to make an appearance, a newspaper untouched at his side. They’d been scheduled to meet over forty-five minutes ago. So far Anita’s fifty-three-year-old son had managed to upset Anita with long discussions—in Marty and Anita’s own living room, no less—about why she was making a terrible mistake. He even played his trump card: invoking the name of Stan.

“Dad would be horrified if he knew you were marrying another man,” shouted Nathan. Marty hadn’t needed to eavesdrop to hear him, sitting in the bedroom pretending to watch television. He’d excused himself to give mother and son some privacy.

“I don’t think so, dear,” Anita had said, though Marty had to strain to hear her voice, which was quiet and thin. She hadn’t been sleeping well at all since she’d learned her oldest son was arriving. And he was, Nathan informed her, a proxy for all of his brothers.

“I know what Dad would have expected of you,” he said.

“Nathan,” she said. “You may not realize this but I knew your father a good deal better than you ever did, or will. We discussed all sorts of things, none of which are any of your business. And my marriage is the same: my business, not yours.”

Marty had half a mind to step into the living room and teach the punk kid a lesson. Who flies all that way just to aggravate their own mother? Marty had always looked after his parents, both of them, and he treated them with respect. It was impossible to believe that such a petulant man could be Anita’s son. She’d merely raised them, she had already explained to Marty; she couldn’t control them. And especially not now that the boys were middle-aged men.

Though one might expect that a middle-aged man with a successful business knew a thing or two about being punctual. Marty was just about ready to call it a day and head home—leaving one of his employees to manage the store—when a whistling Nathan sauntered in, carrying a windbreaker over his shoulder.

“Coffee, thanks,” he said to the employee behind the counter before turning toward Marty, sitting near the wall that was really a refrigerated glass case. “Oh, hey, Marty, I didn’t see you there,” he said, his tone indicating a complete lack of surprise. “Sorry to make you wait.”

Ah, so he wanted to play games. Not a problem, thought Marty.

“We had a time to meet,” said Marty. “And it passed.” He stood up and started to leave the deli, waving a good-bye to his workers.

“Hey, hold up there, buddy,” said Nathan. “I have a few things I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Look, we need to get a few things out there.” Nathan took a deep breath. “I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot. And I was more than happy to meet you here instead of some sort of neutral place. I don’t think we have to be adversaries.

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