Lou came home to the aroma of citrus and the sound of smooth jazz. Tomoko and Nobody were relaxing on the sofa, each absorbed in a book. Nothing unusual was going on. It wasn’t bad. Just different. Lou was immediately suspicious.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?”
“Hello, Lou.” Nobody turned a page. “Not much.”
“What’s with the lemony smell?”
Tomoko raised her eyes from her book. “My fault. I’m out of mango candles. I had to use lemon. Does it cover the burnt smell?”
Lou couldn’t detect anything. “What did you burn?”
“Water.”
“Uh, no. It’s fine.” Time to change the subject. “So, what are you reading?”
“I’m reading The Findhorn Garden,” said Nobody. “It’s about a spiritual community in Scotland where people grow amazing vegetables by communicating with the plants. Tomoko suggested it.”
“And I’m reading How to Be Rich, by J. Paul Getty. Nobody suggested it.”
“Right. How’s your investment research coming along?”
“Very good. I learned to ask the people at WECU how they were managing my savings.”
“What did they say?”
“They didn’t know. Only the boss knew, and he was in Hawaii.”
“Huh. So what now?”
“I don’t trust someone I can’t talk to. So I closed my account. I decided to buy a house instead. If I find one I like.”
“Wow. That’s a big change. What else is new?”
“Did you hear what’s happening with our neighbor?” asked Nobody.
“The Viet Nam vet next door?”
“No, the guru downstairs.”
“Oh, Ram Jam. Yeah, I read that the housing authority is on his case.”
“Yes, and also Children’s Services came by.”
“What for?”
“Well, a buttoned-down woman with a clipboard came up here to talk to us. She asked if we knew anything about underage girls living downstairs. I told her that we had no idea who lived there or how old they were.”
Tomoko added, “I asked the lady how old she was. She was not happy with my question.”
Lou was no expert, but to him the women downstairs all looked over eighteen. Either way, he didn’t want to be involved. Lou changed the subject again. He told his roommates the good news at ADA and the big job at The Daily Herald. In short, it felt like a very good day.
***
Lou called Jax that night to share his good news with her as well.
“That’s really great, Louie. I’m so glad that’s over with.”
“Yeah, for now. I think we’re busier than we’ve ever been. And we’re already talking about another occupation.”
“You mean you’re gonna do it again?”
“I don’t know. It’s way too early to decide. Maybe.”
“Can’t you just volunteer at the office there? Or what if you’re working more? You can’t just drop that.”
“Oh, that’s the other thing that happened today. I got a call from the student paper. They need me to take a look at a couple of dozen typewriters. That’s a really big job.”
“See? That’s what I mean. You have a growing business. Maybe you shouldn’t risk going to jail. You have customers counting on you.”
Lou felt less enthusiasm when it was put that way. He still liked the repair work. It was the responsibility that displeased him.
“We’ll see. I think it’s a short-term business, if anything.”
“Why? What do you mean?”
“I’m good at fixing old typewriters, but the new ones are too complicated for me. And some places are getting electronic machines. I can’t do anything with them.”
“Promise you’ll let me know before you decide. I’ll try to talk you out of going to jail.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s talk about something else. What’s going on over there?”
“Oh. Well, I think things have gotten worse between Philip and Anne.”
“How come?”
“Philip decided to transfer. To Seattle, I think. Anne is so upset about it. I hear them arguing all the time.”
“She doesn’t want to go with him?”
“No. She likes her job. And she has friends and family here. She doesn’t know anybody up there.”
“Could he just finish his work there and then move back?”
“It just gets more complicated. Once Philip gets his doctorate, he could end up working anywhere in the country. He doesn’t know. Meanwhile, he says he could still visit down here when he has time.”
“I thought he didn’t have time.”
“Yeah, that’s part of the problem. I think Anne needs more of a commitment from Philip, but right now he’s committed to his studies.”
“What a mess.”
“I know. What a mess.”