Joe Burke's Last Stand

. Things weren't going well. He wasn't satisfied with the cat burglar story,

of the seat. The forklift engine roared; his hands blurred; pallets leaped into perfect piles, ten feet high. Alphonse cut the engine and climbed down, eyes bright. He

t he rarely spoke to anyone; he focused on the work-how to do it better, how to do it faster. Joe was in a welfare job training program. He hated the whistle

ith a small smile and walked away at the end of the shift, his head was high and he seemed untouched. Alphonse had his own standards, h

s true, as far as it went, but it wa

d that he d

fteen, Joe used to quiz

"Wo

women . . . All wom

y good, very good. And now, for a d

cated man-umm-knows

"Ri

t know another. This was heavy for fifteen, but Max was game. "The idea is to know when you don't know what you're doing; then yo

Soule on the Internet and discovered that a book he'd written on Roman taxation was still available. Joe ordered it, and when it arrived he found it interes

edding, the phone rang as

, J

ppy opening," he said. "Maybe w

be in the morning," sh

o. Good

. I was wondering if you might

ur

motive-two, actual

e. I was bo

around no

oa Valley. "No problem," he said putting the phone down. "Trouble in Gotham, Batman. Lady nee

and were somewhere in New England. He walked to the shopping center and bought a toolkit cased in aluminum with foam cut out

ve plumber," he ann

nished with a long couch, an armchair, a wooden rocking chair, a gray rug, several expensively framed pho

door through which he'd entered. The air was cool and quiet. The house seemed to breathe in a wooded space just large enough for it and for

"I know who he is." Joe pointed at a photo

er. Do I look so

e eyes and mouth."

r Soule,"

writer." An expression both arrogant and helple

expression neutralized. Jo

ar any drip

e; the bathroom is the worst." Joe leaned over the bat

uired." He opened

said staring at the tool

ntually reaching the washer, held by a brass screw. He rep

said, washi

large windows. "I eat in the kitchen, usually, but when I have company it's nice to be out here. Sho

age colored candle. "There, that's better. We had this end of the porch extend

o w

s house. We lived together for eight years

O

t run anywhere; he was rather deliberate,

s good,"

en just can't keep their thing i

d for a baguette of French bread and broke it sha

evr

es

eyer lemon-delicious with the crusty bread. "Vino?" She nodded and he poured them each a glass of Sauvign

ur friends," she said. "Quit

a's." Mo listened as she chewed salad. "Yeah, we g

ite,"

t I'm not satisfied." He told Mo about Alphonse. "I've

thers doing the same kind of work. I like to go to a seminar once in a whil

hav

ograms-non-residen

a. I'll thin

father had slyly dominated the family even though her mother had all the money. Mo was ambivalent toward her father. She was proud of his intellect and accomplishments, but she had an ins

ited the bathroom and noticed that she had left open the door to her bedroom. The bed was fres

hing. He was tuning into Mo's way of inhabiting her space, her large e

uddenly. Her eyebrows were raised. She

te home about-i

of gray in your mustache. Aristocrat. Rebel. How did your nos

second one in two months. He and Mo could be lovers; he would ride shotgun, do things her way, and she would do her best for him in time left over from her busy life. The l

've got some orders I'm trying to get out by the weekend." Again he was surprised, but

k from the wedding," he said

is apartment. What did she want? What did he want? He didn't know, he had to admit. Probabl

s, in their foam cushion, didn't even rattle. "I kept my Goddamned Thin

ffered non-resident programs. At home, he hunted around on the Internet and found a writers group th

x-computer programmer wanted to write fiction, signed a check, threw

d? Joe liked Maine. Portland was a comfortable little city . . . the Standard Bakery, fresh ale at Gritty's, lattes at a dozen different coffee shops. He remembered the small Hisp

Diamond Head. Did he want to go back east? It felt better to sit under the banyan tree and watch it get dark. It seemed a more forward direction, whatever happened. He decided to say goodbye