Code to Zero Page 0,16

cardboard cylinder in the middle.'

'Darn, I never thought of toilet rolls!'

He laughed. 'I wonder, would you like to have dinner at my place tonight?'

She was surprised. "You're going to cook?'

'Not exactly. I thought I'd ask Mrs Riley to make a casserole that I could warm up.'

'Sure,' she said. She had not had dinner at his house before. They normally went to the movies, to concerts of classical music, or to cocktail parties at the homes of other university professors. She wondered what had prompted him to invite her.

'Roy's going to a cousin's birthday party tonight, and he'll sleep over. We'll have a chance to talk without interruption.'

'Okay,' Billie said thoughtfully. They could talk without interruption at a restaurant, of course. Harold had another reason for inviting her to his house when his child would be away for the night. She glanced at him. His expression was open and candid - he knew what she was thinking. "That'll be great,' she said.

'I'll pick you up around eight. Come on, boys!' He shepherded the children out through the back door. Larry left without saying goodbye, which Billie had learned to take as a sign that all was well. When he was anxious about something, or coming down with an infection, he would hang back and cling to her.

'Harold is a good man,' her mother said. "You should many him soon, before he changes his mind.'

'He won't change his mind.'

'Just don't deal him in before he puts his stake on the table.'

Billie smiled at her mother. "You don't miss much, do you, Ma?'

'I'm old, but I'm not stupid.'

Billie cleared the table and threw her own breakfast in the trash. Rushing now, she stripped her bed, - Larry's, and her mother's, and bundled the sheets into a laundry bag. She showed Becky-Ma the bag and said: 'Remember, all you have to do is hand this to the laundry man when he calls, okay, Ma?

Her mother said: 'I don't have any of my heart pills left.'

'Jesus Chrjst!' She rarely swore in front of her mother, but she was at the end of her rope. 'Ma, I have a busy day at work today, and I don't have time to go to the goddamn pharmacist!'

'I can't help it, I ran out'

The most infuriating thing about Becky-Ma was the way she could switch from being a perceptive parent to a helpless child. 'You could have told me yesterday that you were running out - I shopped yesterday! I can't shop every day, I have a-job.'

Becky-Ma burst into tears.

Billie relented immediately. 'I'm sorry, Ma,' she said. Becky-Ma cried easily, like Larry. Five years ago, when the three of them had set up house together, Ma had helped take care of Larry. But nowadays she was barely able to look after him for a couple of hours when he came home from school. Everything would be easier if Billie and Harold were married.

The phone rang. She patted Ma on the shoulder and picked it up. It was Bern Rothsten, her ex-husband. Billie got on well with him, despite the divorce. He came by two or three times a week to see Larry; and he cheerfully paid his share of the cost of bringing up the boy. Billie had been angry with him, once, but it was a long time ago. Now she said: 'Hey, Bern - you're up early.'

"Yeah. Have you heard from Luke?'

She was taken aback. 'Luke Lucas? Lately? No - is something wrong?'

'I don't know, maybe.'

Bern and Luke shared the intimacy of rivals. When they were young they had argued endlessly. Their discussions often seemed acrimonious, yet they had remained close at college and all through the war. 'What's happened?' Billie said.

'He called me on Monday. I was kind of surprised. I don't hear from him often.'

'Nor do I.' Billie struggled to remember. 'Last time I saw him was a couple of years ago, I think.' Realizing how long it was, she wondered why she had let their friendship lapse. She was just busy all the time, she guessed. She regretted that.

'I got a note from him last summer,' Bern said. 'He'd been reading my books to his sister's kid." Bern was the author of The Terrible Twins, a successful series of children's books. 'He said they made him laugh. It was a nice letter.'

'So why did he call you on Monday?'

'Said he was coming to Washington and wanted to see me. Something had happened.'

'Did he tell you what?'

'Not really. He just said: "It's like