The Weight Part 19

"I'll take the bus," I told Solly.

He kind of smiled. "That's smart, Sugar. You don't need a credit card for the Greyhound. I'll set it up for Albie's niece to pick you up at the depot."

"Okay."

"By his neighbors, Albie was just another old retired guy, moved to Florida to get away from the cold. Tallaha.s.see, it's not where you go if you like boats, stuff like that. The whole town's built around the college. Big-time sports school, that's about it.

"But it was perfect for Albie. Prices-for land, I mean-prices were real cheap, especially to a guy used to paying Miami scale. So Albie got himself, like, twenty acres. Had a house built. Then he could do what he's always wanted. Albie, he was a stamp collector. Talk your d.a.m.n ear off about them, you gave him a chance.

"Albie made me executor of his will. That means I got to make sure everybody gets what's coming to them. The house, his cars, everything. Especially those d.a.m.n stamps. Meant so much to him, ten-to-one whoever gets them sells them in a week.

"Ah, so what?" He looked sad for a second, then said, "You know who wants to see that will? Rena, that's her name. She's down there now, living in the house. Driving the car, too, maybe-that I don't know. She'll do old Uncle Solly a favor, guaranteed. Just get yourself to the bus depot, and she'll meet you.

"That's the way we worked it out, Albie and me. If I went first, Grace-you see how she calls me Uncle Solly, too?-would get all my stuff.

"You understand, we're talking about legit legit stuff. House, car, bank-account stuff. For that, you need paper. Cash, that's something else. Grace knows where I keep my will; it would be up to Albie to what they call 'probate' it. In court, with a lawyer. But Albie's girl, she don't know where Albie kept stuff. House, car, bank-account stuff. For that, you need paper. Cash, that's something else. Grace knows where I keep my will; it would be up to Albie to what they call 'probate' it. In court, with a lawyer. But Albie's girl, she don't know where Albie kept his his will except with me, understand?" will except with me, understand?"

I could tell more was coming, so I just kept quiet.

"And there's one more thing," Solly said, "and, for that, this girl won't won't know where it is." know where it is."

"The cash?"

"Forget cash. Albie's book, that's what she won't know about."

"Book?"

Solly took a little book out of his jacket. It was real old. You could tell because the leather covers were a faded-pale shade of blue, and it was all cracked, like a winds.h.i.+eld gets if you hit it with a rock. Small, too. And thin. "Exactly like this one," he said. "There were two of these, a long time ago. Twins. The writing inside, it wouldn't make sense to anyone. It's in code. Albie and me, we're the only ones who could understand it, because we made it up between ourselves."

"Exactly like that one?" like that one?"

"Yeah. And this is how you make sure," Solly told me. He opened the little blue book. On the first page, there was a thumbprint. Looked like it was once done in blood, now it looked more like a brownish color. "You don't see the same thing in Albie's book, it's not the one you want."

"What's that under the print? I can see-"

"Forget the print print, Sugar. Just that there'll be be one, you with me?" one, you with me?"

I nodded, so he'd know I was. "This girl, the one in Florida, is she like...is she like Grace?"

"You mean ...? No, she's not. But Grace, don't underestimate her, kid. In her own way, that is one sharp sharp young lady. And loyal? Forget it! She already knows what to do when I go. There's enough legit stuff, keep her safe the rest of her life. Only thing is, Albie went first. Now I've got to shlep down to the lawyer's and change my will, probably cost me an arm and a leg." young lady. And loyal? Forget it! She already knows what to do when I go. There's enough legit stuff, keep her safe the rest of her life. Only thing is, Albie went first. Now I've got to shlep down to the lawyer's and change my will, probably cost me an arm and a leg."

The old man looked at me for a long minute. Probably trying to figure out if I knew it wasn't this Jessop he was worried about; what he really needed was to get his hands on Albie's book. Wondering if he was making the same mistake about me he warned me against making about Grace.

"Solly, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course. Anything you-"

"You got a book. Albie's got a book. If you went first, Grace would give your book to Albie, right?"

"Absolutely."

"So she knows where your book is. But Albie's girl, she doesn't doesn't?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head like he was agreeing with himself. "Try it this way. Grace, she's like my niece for real. Just like I told you. But Rena, okay, she calls me 'Uncle Solly' same as Grace does, only she wouldn't ever be saying 'Uncle Albie.' She was...like his girlfriend, all right? Been with him a long, long time."

"So you're saying Albie, it was okay with him if his girlfriend gets all his stuff, like a house or whatever, right? But not the book?"

"I guess that's right. Albie must have...look, I don't know, okay? Grace, you could bet your life. Whatever she says she'll do, it's as good as done. Just like her father. But Rena, I don't know her like that.

"I don't know why Albie decided he couldn't trust her with that book, but that's what he must have decided. That book, it's way way more important than any money, Sugar. And it could be bad-real, real bad-if Rena managed to get her hands on it." more important than any money, Sugar. And it could be bad-real, real bad-if Rena managed to get her hands on it."

"If you know where it is, why don't you just-?"

"Are you f.u.c.king listening listening to me? I to me? I don't don't know where it is. It was know where it is. It was supposed supposed to be like I said: Grace for me; Rena for Albie. But when Rena called me, not one single word about that book. Never said, 'Come down and get it.' Or even just FedEx'ed it. So either she doesn't know where it is, or she's got it and she wants to turn it into cash. That's why I never sent her Albie's will." to be like I said: Grace for me; Rena for Albie. But when Rena called me, not one single word about that book. Never said, 'Come down and get it.' Or even just FedEx'ed it. So either she doesn't know where it is, or she's got it and she wants to turn it into cash. That's why I never sent her Albie's will."

"So Albie never trusted her with that book-which means you can't trust her, either?"

"That's it," Solly said. He looked real old then. Like he could see the end of things. "Jessop, he's not a big deal, okay? But I've got to have that book. Me and Albie..."

I waited a long time, but Solly didn't say anything more. He just looked at me.

"I said I'd do it," I told him. I hoped I said it just like Ken would have.

"This is a lot of money," the woman who wanted me to call her Margo said.

"It's just three months' rent. I'll be away for a while. It could be just a couple of weeks, but it could just as easy be a couple of months. You know how those things are."

I said that last thing because people never want to admit they don't don't know how things are. know how things are.

"So I guess, if I wanted to start...training, like we talked about, I'd have to wait until you come back, huh?"

"I'm sorry. This came up real sudden. If I had even a week or two, I could show you enough to keep you going until I got back. But, the way things are-"

"Oh, I know know. Especially today. n.o.body seems to have any money. You can't pa.s.s up a chance like this."

"Thanks for understanding," I told her.

I spent the night getting ready. I didn't like some parts of this bus thing. They don't let you take much luggage on board; they just check it for you. And this this bus ride, it was like a day and a half long. The girl I spoke to at Greyhound looked it up for me, and said I'd have to change buses a couple of times. bus ride, it was like a day and a half long. The girl I spoke to at Greyhound looked it up for me, and said I'd have to change buses a couple of times.

The train would have been better, but the lady at Amtrak said it didn't stop in Tallaha.s.see. Not even close.

Everything in the refrigerator I either finished off or poured out. A lot of my dry stuff, I could take with me.

It was pretty easy, stripping the place. All I left behind was some stuff in the closet. Way before my rent advance ran out, Margo would find some excuse to stick her nose in.

The weather report said tomorrow was going to be in the nineties. Swell time to be going to Florida.

I waited until the husband's car pulled off. He drove a big white Lexus, and he was real careful with it, always checking when he backed out of the driveway. I didn't want him to look up one day and see the shades move, so I just poked a tiny hole in one of them with an ice pick. I could see out fine.

When I was sure, I packed the trunk of my car like I was going away for a long time.

She came outside while I was stowing away the last of my stuff. Leaned over the rail and looked down, putting on a show.

"I think I'll start working out anyway. You think that's a good idea?"

"Like I said, the way you can tell, if it makes you feel better."

"And, like I I said before, all that matters is that you said before, all that matters is that you look look better, Stan. It's all right to call you that, isn't it? I mean, you don't look like a 'Stanley,' somehow." better, Stan. It's all right to call you that, isn't it? I mean, you don't look like a 'Stanley,' somehow."

"You don't look like a Mary Margaret," I said.

"Margo, remember?"

"Sure, I do. I was just saying...it's like we have something in common."

"Oh, I'm sure of that. Well, you have a good time, okay?"

"It's work."

"Some things are hard work and fun, too, aren't they?"

"I...I think that's right."

She turned and walked back inside.

I had already asked the guy who ran the gas station a few blocks from the railroad if I could rent a s.p.a.ce for my car.

He was surprised at first. "You could just leave it over in the commuter lot. It's pretty safe around here."

"No, I mean for a couple, three months. You know how people are. They see a car sitting alone for more than a few days, they come back at night."

"Yeah, that's true," he said, like it made him sad. "So why don't you just leave it at home?"

"I don't have a house. Just an apartment. I have to park on the street. That's okay for overnight, but..."

"I get it. But I couldn't guarantee you indoor s.p.a.ce. It just depends on whatever comes in, you know? I mean, I could park it out back; there's the chain-link, and the dogs, too. Anybody would have to want your car pretty bad to risk that."

I knew what he was saying: who'd want my my car that bad? car that bad?

"That sounds good enough. This way, I can catch the train, jump off in Queens, and I'll be at JFK pretty quick. You got any idea what those long-term lots at the airport are getting now?"

"Yeah. Everything in the city's gone through the G.o.dd.a.m.n roof. How about a hundred a month?"

"That's fair. For both of us, I think."

I gave him three months in front. Took my suitcases and the shoulder duffel out of the trunk, and gave him the keys-I had another set.

"I'd give you a lift to the station, but..."

"That's okay. I only need to catch the ten-fifty-five."

That's the train I caught. It didn't matter where I switched-I think every subway line stops somewhere near the Port Authority. Forty-second Street, Times Square, Grand Central-they're all close enough to walk.

There were a lot of kids on the subway for that time of day. All different kinds; I guess with summer vacation, they didn't have anything to do. A couple of times, I wished I hadn't been hauling all that baggage around. It made me uneasy, no matter what I did. If I put down the suitcases, one of them could be s.n.a.t.c.hed. If I didn't, I wouldn't have my hands free.

A seat would be better, but I never saw an open one.

When the train finally stopped, I told myself I'd been worrying about nothing.

I made it over to Port Authority with more than two hours to spare. After I paid, I asked the tired-looking black girl on the other side of the counter what platform my bus would be leaving from. She pointed up at this huge monitor. Not real friendly, but I could see it wasn't anything personal.

They told me I had to check the suitcases. One of the bus people said something about my duffel, too, but another one said the bus was going to be half empty, so what was the big deal?

I was glad about that. You make a fuss, you draw attention to yourself.

The guy in the uniform was right-there couldn't have been more than a dozen people on the bus when we pulled out. I found a pair of seats all the way at the back. n.o.body would want those seats if they had any other choice; the bathroom was just across from them.

I put the duffel on the seat next to me, all the outside pockets facing me, with the strap looped around my wrist. Just habit-who's going to s.n.a.t.c.h a bag on a bus?

Probably everybody on that bus had a different reason for going wherever they were headed. I never try and figure out stuff like that-there's no way to ever find out if I'd guessed right.

It was easier after it got dark. A few people put their lights on-to read, I guess.

The bus smelled a lot like prison. People smells, I mean. Closed in. That kind of smell, it gets into everything-you couldn't get it out with a barrelful of bleach and a power-washer. The seat was a lot better than anything you could get in prison, but, even cranked way back, you still had to sleep kind of sitting up, so it was a push between that seat and a cell bunk.

When we stopped to change buses, some people bought stuff to eat or a book to read. A couple of them tried to smoke a whole pack of cigarettes while we were waiting.

They changed drivers, too. The bus filled up a little more, but it was still about half empty. n.o.body even got close to sitting near me.

I heard people talking to each other. A real skinny girl walked past me to use the toilet. She saw me, ran her tongue around her mouth. I looked out the window.

She was in there a long time. I hoped she wasn't still poking herself, trying to find a vein. Or nodding out.