The Portable Veblen

23 HELLO IN THERE

Within the week, Paul was out of the hospital and back at his apartment in Mountain View to recuperate. Bill and Justin had returned to Garberville; Marion was most suited to nursing Paul. He was gaining strength and appetite rapidly, and Marion cooked for him and picked up his prescriptions and helped him remember what had to be taken when, but he was eager to be independent again, to have the space to think.

Veblen would stop by every day and visit, but mostly she and Paul talked on the phone, like people just getting to know each other. When they talked, Veblen would stand at her front window, watching a tall slender palm down the road sway like a colossal cattail. The palm would hypnotize her, taking her away to a world where human solidarity prevailed.

Her mother was leaving her alone for a change. It was remarkable how little time she’d spent worrying about the fight they’d had when Paul was in the hospital, and how little damage control she’d indulged in since. But after a few days had gone by, Veblen longed to talk to her again, and called.

Her mother answered immediately.

“Mom?”

“Yes, Veblen.”

Veblen said, “Mom, I’m sorry I yelled at you at the hospital, and I hope everything’s okay.”

Melanie sniffed. “I can understand you were under a lot of duress,” said her mother, picking up without evident melodrama. “How are you feeling now?”

“Okay,” Veblen said. “So you’re not mad?”

“I was hurt and disappointed,” her mother said. “But I’ve put it behind me. How is Paul?”

“He’s good, just a little tired.”

“Tired in what way? Is he keeping food down?”

“Yes. His head hurts, and so do his ribs and his leg.”

“He needs to start physical therapy right away.”

“He started, don’t worry.”

“What’s happening with the attorney?”

“She says it’s likely Cloris won’t be charged with any criminal offense for the accident. But she’s going to help Paul with the whistle-blower stuff,” Veblen said. They proceeded to discuss how this would impact Paul’s career, and Veblen was able to tell her mother that through the efforts of Dr. Chaudhry, Stanford wanted him back. But whether Paul would accept was another story.

“And what about the wedding?” Melanie asked.

“We’ll see,” Veblen simply said.

“His parents have been very civil to me. I know that’s not the point, but it meant a lot to me,” Melanie said. “Marion called the other day to see if I was all right and we talked about the stress you’re under. I don’t know when anybody’s shown that kind of consideration for me in years.”

“What about Linus?”

“Besides Linus. And you, of course.”

“Well, good,” Veblen said.

“I know you’ve been very busy, but you haven’t heard anything further about my trial, have you?”

“No.”

“I hope this isn’t a pipe dream,” Melanie said, sighing.

“Don’t you have a better pipe dream than that?” Veblen accused, and her mother actually chuckled.

“I wish I did, dear. Wait till you’re my age.”

They talked a bit longer. Her mother wanted to hear about how Paul was coping with the everyday details of life with a broken arm and leg, and even inquired about the degree of chafing in his armpits. She also had been thinking a great deal about Veblen’s health and how she might be under a lot of strain. Through the blinds Veblen could see a light coming on in Donald Chester’s kitchen.

Hello in there.

• • •

THAT NIGHT, Veblen dreamed about the wedding. She dreamed that they were standing on the ridge overlooking the great expanse of the Pacific, up near Skyline Drive, and that the earth began to rumble, but it wasn’t the work of the San Andreas Fault. Everywhere before her the fields and meadows were moving. All at once she saw squirrels, millions of them, running, shoulder to shoulder, forming a huge blanket, as far as the eye could see, one of those vast migrations that had been noted across the continent by settlers and pioneers. Squirrels began to pour through the clearing where they stood, around the guests, making them scream, and all the while Veblen was calling out to calm them: “They’re only moving on! It’s all right! They’re moving on!”

When she awoke her muscles were sore, as if she’d been running in the stampede.