The Tidewater Tales by John Barth

Author:John Barth [Barth, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, pdf
ISBN: 9780399132476
Amazon: 0399132473
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Published: 1987-06-21T14:00:00+00:00

CHESAPEAKE & POTOMAC

is the Maryland telephone company, not another brace of names for our work in progress. P’s relieved that K’s experience of impudent wiretapping has not soured her on telephones; C & P therapy is a standby on her side of our house. He supposes that if she gets together with May Jump, he’ll pick up some odds and ends at Fawcett’s Boat Supplies Inc. and then spend the morning making notes on some of these stories. No drafts, Kath reminds him between Kleenexes. No drafts, he agrees. Or, if she can’t get hold of May, we’ll just stroll and window-shop and then check out of here and have lunch somewhere and think about packing it in. His wife declares We’re not packing it in; we haven’t even met Don Quixote yet. Her husband says Then maybe in the late afternoon, if the wind drops, we’ll move out to the anchorage or sail up the Severn for the night.

He goes to shave. Kate’s flypaper memory holds every telephone number that matters to her, but when a husky-rich middle-aged woman’s voice answers, she wonders whether she maybe hit a wrong button on the touch-tone. She hears what sounds like a man and another woman arguing in the background; before she can ask Is this May Jump’s residence? the first woman says Hold on please and mildly asks the arguers Would you guys keep it down a bit? and then to Katherine Sorry there.

Is this Eight Oh Nine Five?

I’ll check, the woman says, surprisingly. Yeah.

May Jump’s residence? K’s sure now that it isn’t, but the throaty voice says You got it; who’s calling, please? and a bit later May’s on the line. Kiss? She’s been down all week with a virus, May reports, but it’s gone now, but she’s staying out of the office till Monday. No, that wasn’t her new friend that answered, the one she was coming home from Ocean City with last time she and Katherine talked. That was her new friend’s mother, as a matter of fact: the maybe next president of ASPS and HOSCA both, whom Kiss has simply got to meet just as soon as possible. Where are you guys? It is quickly arranged that May will pick Katherine up in front of the Hilton in half an hour. Not to worry about the virus, Mama, May assures her; it’s gone completely. I want you to meet my new friend . . . aaand . . . our son!

Maze?

May chuckles: Half an hour.

Peter shakes his head, too.

Now we call Nopoint Point, does Katherine, and gets her brother Andrew, the only one home just now besides Olive Treadway. Andy makes note of our lay-day intentions, accepts our thanks for the Brandy roses and the room-service breakfast, and relays to us his mother’s reminder, who knew her daughter would be calling, that we are to double-check our bill to make sure that that breakfast doesn’t get mistakenly charged to us. Says smiling Kath Okay. Now look here, Chipper: What’s come over our older brother?

Okay, well.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.