The elderly dog eyed him from under a table as he leaned a shopping bag against the room divider, peering through the display of preColumbia erect to the flaccid saxophone, stilled fingers halted up its length to the mouthpiece hung between dentures left ajar. — Hello Dad…
— He’s asleep and Daddy you want to see the puppet show me and Donny made? See it’s this clown and this mouse and the clown says hey Donny! Come here, we’re going to show the puppet show.
— Where’s Donny?
— He’s with his bed. Hey Donny?
— After supper Nora, he said starting the round of turning off lights, foyer, hall, bathroom, foyer, snap, snap, snap, — Nora?
— What are you doing now.
— We don’t need lights on in rooms nobody’s in.
— Rooms nobody’s in, put them out in the kitchen too we can all eat in the dark. Nora get Donny for supper.
— He’s with his bed. Hey Don-ny…!
— Don’t scream! I said go get him.
— Shall I wake Dad?
— My God no, why.
— For supper?
— He ate already Daddy.
— Ate already? Ate what already.
— I don’t know Mama, he just made something and…
— I said will you get Donny.
— Daddy will you help me get Donny? When he gets all those wires around everything with his bed he gets stuck.
— My God… a door banged, there was a sound of something falling, of dragging up the hall. — Nora let Donny sit there, you sit here.
— But Mama he has to sit by where the plug is so he can plug in.
— And I have to get through here without tripping on a cord every time I turn around.
— But he can’t eat nothing if he’s not plugged in. I need a fork.
— Use your spoon.
— Daddy can I use your fork?
— There must be more forks, I’ll get you a…
— She can use her spoon. There aren’t any clean forks.
— But we had plenty of forks, that whole set that…
— Ick, tunafish casserole.
— Sit up and eat.
— Yes we, we don’t have meat very often we…
— Don’t have meat very often! You think they give it away?
— No but there should be enough in the household money for just…
— Household money, Nora sit up and eat. You said Dad already ate, none of the casserole was gone what did he eat?
— Out of the blue dish with the cover, he…
— Oh God. He got in the dog’s food again.
— Would it make him sick Mama?
— Does it make the dog sick?
— Then what’s the matter.
— The way the bathroom smells afterward that’s what’s the matter, now sit up and finish.
— Then will you watch me and Donny’s puppet show?
— Yes, just eat. If you, Donny!
— He couldn’t help it Mama, the wire got caught around his milk glass and…
— My God, all over my skirt. Just stay at the table!
— But you’re…
— Stay right there till you’re finished! she got past them, rounded the corner and down the hall. — Dad! Are you in there? A rude sound responded promptly beyond the bathroom door and here she came again. — All of you! she whispered, getting her skirt off at the kitchen sink.
— We’re done. We’re done. Get ready for the puppet show.
— All of you…
— In here Daddy, in the living room. Donny you get the mouse. I’ll be the clown and the cat and you be the mouse. Daddy you sit here, Daddy sits here and Mama sits here. Donny you’re being the mouse. Mama? You sit here. This is where we live. I’m being the clown and I say let’s get a cat. Come on Donny, you’re being the mouse and you say you don’t want us to get a cat because you’re scared he would eat you, come on, so then you go out. So then the clown goes over and opens the door so the cat can come in and tells him to come in. So then the mouse, come on Donny you’re being the mouse and you hear us, so then the mouse hears us and he comes in where the clown didn’t see him and closes the door on the cat. Come on Donny, come on! You’re being the…
— Nora? it’s close to bed time.
— But just let us…
— Get undressed Nora. Both of you.
— Mama Donny always ruins everything, he was supposed to be practicing and he was always going back to work on his old bed while he was supposed to be practicing the puppet show. He’s always ruining everything…
Somewhere a clock made a try at striking the hour. A door banged, a toilet flushed, a door banged. Tape measure, linen counter, calibrated pencil, perforation gauge, — what are you doing with all that stuff? she came in behind him.
— Just, just getting it out of my pockets…
— Would you mind dumping it somewhere else? I need the mirror.
Calibrated pencil, linen counter, tape measure, perforation gauge, — Aren’t you afraid the children will see you like that? he said, picking them up.
— See me like what.
— Just, I mean, walking around naked…
— Why should they be afraid to see me walking around naked?
— No I mean you, aren’t you afraid…
— Well say what you mean… leaning into the mirror she removed an eyelash. — Afraid! she removed the other eyelash, — because you’re afraid you think everybody else should be afraid?
— Well no, he brought his eyes up from the smutch of hair she’d turned on him — I only meant…
