You don't belong to any school of
art, because... You don't belong to any school of
art, because you don't know any
"I know buildings," I said
"Then why don't you paint buildings?"
I shook my headI could have told him the thought
had never crossed my mind, but it would have been
closer to the truth to say it had never crossed my
missing armYou're an American primitive
Nothing wrong with thatGrandma Moses was an
319
American primitiveJackson Pollock was another
The point is, Edgar, you're talentedI simply couldn't
figure out what to say
"Thank the man, Edgar," he saidAnd if you do decide to show, Edgar,
please come to the Scoto firstI'll make you the
best deal of any gallery on Palm Avenue
"Are you kidding? Of course I'll come here first
"And of course
knock off tiffany jewelry I'll vet the contract," Wireman
said with a choirboy's smile
Nannuzzi smiled in return"You should and I
welcome itNot that you'll find a lot to vet; the
standard Scoto first-artist contract is a page and
half longNannuzzi," I said, "I really don't know how
to thank you
"You already did," he said"I clutched my heart -
what's left of it - and fell downBefore you go,
there's one more matter He found a pad on his
desk, scribbled on it, then tore off the sheet and
handed it to me like a doctor handing a patient a
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prescriptionThe word written on it in large
slanting capitals even looked like a word you'd
see on a doctor's prescription: LIQUIN
"What's Liquin?" I askedI suggest you begin by putting it
on
prada bags sales finished works with a paper towelLet it dry for twenty-four hours, then put
on a second coatThat will keep your sunsets
bright and fresh for centuries He looked at me
so solemnly I felt my stomach rise a little toward
my chest"I don't know if they're good enough to
deserve such longevity, but maybe they areWho
knows? Maybe they are
viii
We ate dinner at Zoria's, the restaurant Mary Ire
had mentioned, and I let Wireman buy me a bourbon
before the mealIt was the first truly stiff
drink I'd had since the accident, and it hit me in
a funny wayEverything seemed to grow sharper
until the world was drenched with light and color
The angles of things - doors, windows, even the
cocked elbows of the passing waiters -
chanel j10 watch fake seemed
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sharp enough to cut the air open and allow some
darker, thicker atmosphere to come flowing out
like syrupThe swordfish I ordered was delicious,
the green beans snapped between my teeth, and the
creme brulée was almost too rich to finish (but
too rich to leave)The conversation among the
three of us was cheerful; there was plenty of
laughterStill, I wanted the meal to be overMy
head still ached, although the throb had slid to
the back of my skull (like a weight in one of
those barroom bowling games), and the bumper-tobumper
traffic we could see on Main Street was
distractingEvery horn-honk sounded ill-tempered
and menacingI wanted the
blackness of the Gulf and the quiet conversation
of the
omega watches for sale shells below me as I lay in my bed with
Reba on the other pillow
And by the time the waiter came to ask if we
wanted more coffee, Jack was carrying the
conversation almost single-handedIn my state of
hyper-awareness I could see that I wasn't the only
one who needed a change of venueGiven the low
lighting in the restaurant and Wireman's mahogany
tan, it was hard to tell just how much color he'd
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lost, but I thought quite a bitAlso, that left
eye of his was weeping again
"Just the check," Wireman said, and then managed a
smile"Sorry to cut the celebration short, but I
want to get back to my ladyIf that's okay with
you guys
"Fine by me," Jack said"A free meal and home in
time to watch SportsCenter? Such a
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