Our Souls at Night

28

In early August Gene came out from Grand Junction to visit and Addie and Jamie met him at the door.

I don’t see the dog you’ve been telling me about, he said.

She’s at Louis’s house, Jamie said.

You call him Louis?

Yes. He said to.

They went in and Gene took his bags upstairs to the back bedroom where Jamie and the dog slept and put the bags on the bed.

I’ll stay in here with you in my old room.

What about Bonny?

She can’t sleep in here with both of us.

She always sleeps with me.

We’ll see how it goes.

They went back downstairs and in the late afternoon Louis came over to say hello and he brought the dog along. Jamie knelt down in front of her and petted her and took her outside to play in the yard.

Stay out of the street, Gene said.

We do this all the time, Dad. They went on out.

Gene looked at Louis. I hear you stay here with my mother too.

Some nights I do.

What’s that about?

Friendship. For one thing.

What are you doing? Addie said. You know about this.

What am I doing? My mother’s sleeping with an old neighbor man while my son’s in the other room and I’m not supposed to ask about it.

That’s right. How can this be any of your business?

It’s my business if my son is here.

There’s nothing to see, Louis said. I don’t think it’s hurting him. I wouldn’t be here if I thought so.

I don’t think you’re the one to judge. You’re getting what you want. Why would you care about a boy that belongs to somebody else?

But I do care about him.

Well, you can stop. I don’t want him to be affected by this. I know about you. When I was a kid I heard about you.

What about me?

Louisart doesn’t matter" title="125">How you left your wife and daughter for some other woman.

That was over forty years ago.

It still happened.

And I’m sorry it did. But I can’t go back and fix it now. Louis watched him for a moment. I think I’ll leave. This isn’t helping anything.

I’ll call you later, Addie told him.

He stood and went out.

Why are you being this way? Addie said. What’s wrong with you?

I don’t want my son to be hurt.

You don’t think he’s already been hurt by his father and mother this summer?

Yes, I do think so. And now it’s getting worse.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s far better now than when you left him here. And if you want to know the truth Louis has been good for him.

Because he’s after your money too, isn’t he?

Whatever are you talking about now?

If you married him he’d get half of everything, wouldn’t he? I couldn’t stop him.

We’re not getting married. And he’s not interested in my money. My God, what little you must think of me.

He looked away. I don’t know what I’m going to do. Iȁ. If we do it&