The winter of Frankie Machine

29

Troy Vaughan leaves the Federal Building to go grab some lunch. They have a good cafeteria in the building, but Troy feels like getting some air. He tucks theUnion-Tribune under his arm and leaves his office.

“It’s raining,” the receptionist tells him.

Troy holds up his umbrella.

There are maybe three people in San Diego who own an umbrella.

Anyway, it’s not raining hard, and the umbrella stands up to the wind. Troy walks three blocks down to a little lunch place on Broadway, at the edge of the Gaslamp District. He finds a stool at the counter and sits down.

“What’s the soup of the day?” he asks the guy behind the counter.

“Vegetable bean.”

Troy orders the soup and half-sandwich special and unfolds his newspaper. He removes the sports section, sets it down on the stool beside him, and starts to read the main section.

A minute later, the guy two stools over gets up, slides his check off the counter, picks up the sports section, and goes up to the register. The man pays his check and walks out into the rain.

Troy cautions himself to ignore the man walking out. He makes himself sit and finish his sandwich and his cup of vegetable bean soup.

Which, he thinks, is not exactly haute cuisine, but good on a cold, rainy day.