Tuesday The Rabbi Saw Red

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sitting on the bed, she watched him gather his few possessions together and stuff them into the duffle bag, they had not quarreled, he had not appeared angry. But then of course he never got angry; that's what she liked about him, he had merely announced he had to be pushing along and then resurrected his duffle bag from the depths of the closet.

If they had one rule, tacitly agreed on, it was that each was free to come and go as he pleased; should either of them decide to leave for any reason there would be no recriminations. But still she felt an explanation was— not due her, but, but— well yes, dammit, due her. However, she molded her voice so that it showed no hint of hurt, only normal curiosity: "Anything happen, Ekko?"

"The goddam school blows up and she asks if anything happened. One minute the place is peaceful like a morgue, then Boom! It's a regular Fourth of July carnival with cops and fire engines, even the guy with the popcorn cart."

"Oh that! I meant between us, are you sore because I sounded off at the meeting?"

"Nah,” he said. "She was just looking for an out. If it hadn't been that, it would’ve been something else."

"So then why are you splitting?"

He threw more things into the bag. "Because they'll be coming after us, baby, they'll get hold of Hanbury and she'll tell them about the meeting and how she walked out and left us behind, and she'll give them our names and they'll pick us up, then they'll start questioning and they'll find out I was in Nam, and in Ordnance, and next thing you know I'm in the slammer."

"But they haven't got anything on you."

"They don't need anything to start pushing, baby. When I got out of the Army, I made up my mind I wasn't ever going to let anyone push me around again so long as I could help it."

"But if you split now, won't that be suspicious?" she said. "Then they'll be sure you did it."

"They can think what they want, so long as I'm not around." She was silent, trying to understand why he would invite suspicion by running away, hesitantly, she asked: "Did— did you do it. Ekko?"He snorted. "Why would I blow up the goddam school? For Roger Fine?"

"Then who did?"

"Probably those goddam Weathervane crazies. Same as last time, they're stoned out of their heads most of the time, they must have found out about our meeting somehow, they see Hanbury leave, then fifteen minutes later they see us leave. So they get a clear road. Blooey: the Fourth of July!"

She looked at him. "How did you know they did it last time?"

"I just know." He continued with his packing. "They could catch you tomorrow,” she said.

"Sure, and I could be run over by a car and dead tomorrow. In the meantime. I'll be free."In a quiet voice: "Are you coming back?"

"Sure, after things cool down, the college won't push this— bad publicity. Like the last time, the computer was wrecked and they gave out to the papers it was only minor damage. Same way now, the college won't press, and after a while the pigs will have to drop it, then I'll come back."

"But you’ve paid for your tuition."

"Half a semester. So I've had half a semester. Big deal; the stuff is a lot of crap anyway, maybe I'll get me a job as a carpenter like my old man, there, when you do some work, you can at least see something for it. Yeah, maybe that's what I'll do. Carpentering. Ten bucks an hour some places." He pulled the cords and closed the mouth of the bag.

"But you won't get the chance,” she appealed to him. "Once they start looking, they won't let up till they find you, they got your picture in the school files and with that bald head they won't have any trouble finding you."

"Oh yeah? Turn around for a minute."

She did so, doubtfully.

"All right, now you can look."

She could scarcely recognize him, he was wearing a wig of thick black hair and the whole cast of his face was transformed by a Mongol moustache.

"How do you like it?"

"Crazy!"

He slung the bag over his shoulder. "I got a friend out in the western part of the state. I can hole up with him for a couple of days, then there's a guy I know in Ohio who's running some kind of dope rehabilitation center. I bet I could stay with him for a month and nobody would even notice me. Don't worry about me." He hesitated then said. "Well, so long. Be seeing you."

"You going just like that. Ekko?"He looked at her narrowly and said. "Okay, I guess it won't do no harm to start a little later."

Later, as she lay in his arms, she murmured. "I'm afraid. Ekko."

"What of?"

"Oh, what they'll do when they arrest me."

"You got no call to be afraid,” he said. "Your old man will hire some high-power lawyer, and they'll treat you with kid gloves. It's just slobs like me that got to worry, they take it out double on me because they can't touch you."

"I'm afraid for you."

"Don't worry, they won't find me in a million years."