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Bill Giosti gave my son Bill a long； bloodshot glance that finally deflated him。 〃These are different atoms； Son。〃
〃Oh； yeah；〃 Billy muttered； giving in。
Dick Muehler； our insurance agent； said the Arrowhead Project was an agricultural station the government was running； no more or less。 〃Bigger tomatoes with a longer growing season；〃 Dick said sagely； and then went back to showing me how I could help my family most efficiently by dying young。 Janine Lawless； our postlady； said it was a geological survey having something to do with shale oil。 She knew for a fact； because her husband's brother worked for a man who had
Mrs。 Carmody； now 。。。 she probably leaned more to Bill Giosti's view of the matter。 Not just atoms； but different atoms。
I cut two more chunks off the big tree and dropped them over the side before Billy came back with a fresh beer in one hand and a note from Steff in the other。 If there's anything Big Bill likes to do more than run messages； I don't know what it could be。
〃Thanks；〃 I said； taking them both。
〃Can I have a swallow？〃
〃Just one。 You took two last time。 Can't have you running around drunk at ten in the morning。〃
〃Quarter past；〃 he said； and smiled shyly over the top of the can。 I smiled back…not that it was such a great joke； you know； but Billy makes them so rarely…and then read the note。
〃Got JBQ on the radio；〃 Steffy had written。 〃Don't get drunk before you go to town。 You can have one more； but that's it before lunch。 Do you think you can get up our road okay？〃
I handed him the note back and took my beer。 〃Tell her the road's okay because a power truck just went by。 They'll be working their way up here。〃
〃Okay。〃
〃Champ
〃What； Dad？〃
〃Tell her everything's okay。〃
He smiled again； maybe telling himself first。 〃Okay。〃
He ran back and I watched him go； legs pumping； soles of his zori showing。 I love him。 It's his face and sometimes the way his eyes turn up to mine that make me feel as if things are really okay。 It's a lie； of course…things are not okay and never have been…but my kid makes me believe the lie。
I drank some beer； set the can down carefully on a rock； and got the chainsaw going again。 About twenty minutes later I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned； expecting to see Billy again。 Instead it was Brent Norton。 I turned off the chainsaw。
He didn't look the way Norton usually looks。 He looked hot and tired and unhappy and a little bewildered。
〃Hi； Brent；〃 I said。 Our last words had been hard ones； and I was a little unsure how to proceed。 I had a funny feeling that he had been standing behind me for the last five minutes or so； clearing his throat decorously under the chainsaw's aggressive roar。 I hadn't gotten a really good look at him this summer。 He had lost weight； but it didn't look good。 It should have； because he had been carrying around an extra twenty pounds； but it didn't。 His wife had died the previous November。 Cancer。 Aggie Bibber told Steffy that。 Aggie was our resident necrologist。 Every neighborhood has one。 From the casual way Norton had of ragging his wife and belittling her （doing it with the contemptuous ease of a veteran matador inserting banderillas in an old bull's lumbering body）； I would have guessed he'd be glad to have her gone。 If asked； I might even have speculated that he'd show up this summer with a girl twenty years younger than he was on his arm and a silly my…cock…has…died…and…gone…to…heaven grin on his face。 But instead of the silly grin there was only a new batch of age lines； and the weight had e off in all the wrong places； leaving sags and folds and dewlaps that told their own story。 For one passing moment I wanted only to lead Norton to a patch of sun and sit him beside one of the fallen trees with my can of beer in his hand； and do a charcoal sketch of him。
〃Hi； Dave；〃 he said； after a long moment of awkward silence … a silence that was made even louder by the absence of the chainsaw's racket and roar。 He stopped； then blurted： 〃That tree。 That damn tree。 I'm sorry。 You were right。〃
I shrugged。
He said； 〃Another tree fell on my car。〃
〃I'm sorry to h…〃 I began； and then a horrid suspicion dawned。 〃It wasn't the T…Bird； was it？〃
〃Yeah。 It was。〃
Norton had a 1960 Thunderbird in mint condition； only thirty thousand miles。 It was a deep midnight blue inside and out。 He drove it only summers； and then only rarely。 He loved that Bird the way some men love electric trains or model ships or target…shooting pistols。
〃That's a bitch；〃 I said； and meant it。
He shook his head slowly。 〃I almost didn't bring it up。 Almost brought the station wagon； you know。 Then I said what the hell； I drove it up and a big old rotten pine fell on it。 The roof of it's all bashed in。 And I thought I'd cut it up 。。。 the tree； I mean 。。。 but I can't get my chainsaw to fire up 。。。 I paid two hundred dollars for that sucker 。。。 and 。。。 and 。。。 〃
His throat began to emit little clicking sounds。 His mouth worked as if he were toothless and chewing dates。 For one helpless second I thought he was going to stand there and bawl like a kid on a sandlot。 Then he got himself under some halfway kind of control； shrugged； and turned away as if to look at the chunks of wood I had cut up。
〃Well； we can look at your saw；〃 I said。 〃Your T…Bird insured ？〃
〃Yeah；〃 he said； 〃like your boathouse。〃
I saw what he meant； and remembered again what Steff had said about insurance。
〃Listen； Dave； I wondered if I could borrow your Saab and take a run up to town。 I thought I'd get some bread and cold cuts and beer。 A lot of beer。〃
〃Billy and I are going up in the Scout；〃 I said。 〃e with us if you want。 That is； if you'll give me a hand dragging the rest of this tree off to one side。〃
〃Happy to。〃
He grabbed one end but couldn't quite lift it up。 I had to do most of the work。 Between the two of us we were able to tumble it into the underbrush。 Norton was puffing and panting； his cheeks nearly purple。 After all the yanking he had done on that chainsaw starter pull； I was a little worried about his ticker。
〃Okay？〃 I asked； and he nodded； still breathing fast。 〃e on back to the house； then； I can fix you up with a beer。 〃
〃Thank you；〃 he said。 〃How is Stephanie？〃 He was regaining some of the old smooth pomposity that I disliked。
〃Very well； thanks。〃
〃And your son？〃
〃He's fine； too。〃
〃Glad to hear it。〃
Steff came out； and a moment's surprise passed over her face when she saw who was with me。 Norton smiled and his eyes crawled over her tight T…shirt。 He hadn't changed that much after all。
〃Hello； Brent；〃 she said cautiously。 Billy poked his head out from under her arm。
〃Hello； Stephanie。 Hi； Billy。〃
〃Brent's T…Bird took a pretty good rap in the storm；〃 I told her。 〃Stove in the roof； he says。〃
〃Oh； no！〃
Norton told it again while he drank one of our beers。 I was sipping a third； but I had no kind of buzz on； apparently I had sweat the beer out as rapidly as I drank it。
〃He's going to e to town with Billy and me。〃
〃Well； I won't expect you for a while。 You may have to go to the Shop…and…Save in Norway。〃
〃Oh？ Why？〃
〃Well； if the power's off in Bridgton…〃
〃Mom says all the cash registers and things run on electricity；〃 Billy supplied；
It was a good point。
〃Have you still got the list？〃
I patted my hip pocket。
Her eyes shifted to Norton。 〃I'm very sorry about Carla； Brent。 We all were。〃
〃Thank you；〃 he said。 〃Thank you very much。〃
There was another moment of awkward silence which Billy broke。 〃Can we go now； Daddy？〃 He had changed to jeans and sneakers。
〃Yeah； I guess so。 You ready； Brent？〃
〃Give me another beer for the road and I will be。〃
Steffy's brow creased。 She had never approved of the onefor… the… road philosophy； or of men who drive with a can of Bud leaning against their crotches。 I gave her a bare nod and she shrugged。 I didn't want to reopen things with Norton now； She got him a beer。
〃Thanks；〃 he said to Steffy； not really thanking her but only mouthing a word。 It was the way you thank a waitress in a restaurant。 He turned back to me。 〃Lead on； Macduff。〃
〃Be right with you；〃 I said； and went into the living room。
Norton followed； and exclaimed over the birch； but I wasn't interested in that or in the cost of replacing the window just then。 I was looking at the lake through the sliding glass panel that gave on our deck。 The breeze had freshened a little and the day had warmed up five degrees or so while I was cutting wood。 I thought the odd mist we'd noticed earlier would surely have broken up； but it hadn't。 It was closer； too。 Halfway across the lake now。
〃I noticed that earlier；〃 Norton said； pontificating。 〃Some kind of temperature inversion； that's my guess。〃
I didn't like it。 I felt very strongly that I had never seen a mist exactly like this one。 Part of it was the unnerving straight edge of its leading front。 Nothing in nature is that even； man is the inventor of straight edges。 Part of it was that pure； dazzling whiteness； with no variation but also without the sparkle of moisture。 It was only half a mile or so off now； and the contrast between it and the blues of the lake and sky was more striking than ever。
〃e on； Dad！ 〃 Billy was tugging at my pants。
We all went back to the kitchen。 Brent Norton spared one final glance at the tree that had crashed into our living room。
〃Too bad it wasn't an apple tree； huh？〃 Billy remarked brightly。 〃That's what my mom said。 Pretty funny； don't you think？〃
〃Your mother's a real card； Billy；〃 Norton said。 He ruffled Billy's hair in a perfunctory way and his eyes went to the front of Steff's T…shirt again。 No； he was not a man I was ever going to be able to really like。
〃Listen； why don't you e with us； Steff？〃 I asked。 For no concrete reason I suddenly wanted her to e along。
〃No； I think I'll stay here and pull some weeds in the garden；〃 she said。 Her eyes shifted toward Norton and then back to me。 〃This morning it seems like I'm the only thing around here that doesn't run on electricity。〃
Norton laughed too heartily。
I was getting her message； but tried one more time。 〃You sure ？〃
〃Sure；〃 she said firmly。 〃The old bend …and …stretch will do me good。〃
〃Well； don't get too much sun。〃
〃I'll put on my straw hat。 We'll have sandwiches when you get back。〃
〃Good。〃
She turned her face up to be kissed。 〃Be careful。 There might be blowdowns on Kansas Road too； you know。〃
〃I'll be careful。〃
〃You be careful； too；〃 she told Billy； and kissed his cheek。
〃Right； Mom。〃 He banged out of the door and the screen cracked shut behind him。
Norton and I walked out after him。 〃Why don't we go over to your place and cut the tree off your Bird？〃 I asked him。 All of a sudden I could think of lots of reasons to delay leaving for town。
〃I don't even want to look at it until after lunch and a few more of these〃 Norton said； holding up his beer can。 〃The damage has been done； Dave old buddy。〃
I didn't like him calling me buddy； either。
We all got into the front seat of the Scout （in the far corner of the garage my scarred Fisher plow blade sat glimmering yellow； like the ghost of Christmas yet…to…e） and I backed out； crunching over a litter of storm…blown twigs。 Steff was standing on the cement path which leads to the vegetable patch at the extreme west end of ； our property。 She had a pair of clippers in one gloved hand and the weeding claw in the other。 She had put on her old floppy sunhat； and it cast a band of shadow over her face。 I tapped the horn twice； lightly； and she raised the hand holding the clippers in answer。 We pulled out。 I haven't seen my wife since then。
We had to stop once on our way up to Kansas Road。 Since the power truck had driven through； a pretty fair…sized pine had dropped across the road。 Norton and I got out and moved it enough so I could inch the Scout by； getting our hands all pitchy in the process。 Billy wanted to help but I waved him back。 I was afraid he might get poked in the eye。 Old trees have always reminded me of the Ents in Tolkien's wonderful Rings saga； only Ents that have gone bad。 Old trees want to hurt you。 It doesn't matter if you're snowshoeing； cross…country skiing； or just taking a walk in the woods。 Old trees w