Oliver Benjamin
that revealed the Los Angeles skyline. They took out the envelope,
removed the sheaves of paper and reviewed the booty.
Colin started to flip through the deed, then placed it on the hood
and lay down flat on the ground.
“What is it?” Sprout said. Izzy looked through the sheaves.
“This isn’t a deed,” he said, “These are Colin’s adoption papers.”
Leona had scribbled “YOU ARE ALL BASTARDS,” on them.
2. Hurrah
Morris lay stretched out on an island, in the sun, by the big blue
resort pool. He watched idly as his thoughts drifted towards silly
memories long forgotten. Idle, random events of utterly no
consequence. Like that time he ate a chicken sandwich on the banks
of the Bakersfield reservoir. Or when he lifted up the dress of Margot
Henderson to see what was underneath. Or when he beat up that
hobo to prove Baudelaire right. Fondling his first breast. The hard
taste of sherry and the inexplicable flavor of lead.
A small coffee-colored child ran around the pool giggling. He
craned his neck up to see what all the ruckus was about. An employee
picked him up and he quieted down. That was better. He was there to
relax. Doctor’s orders, so to speak.
Leona had told him sagely that even God had to rest sometimes.
It was true, of course. Years of creation had left him totally
exhausted. His mind had grown fuzzy and tired and he found that he
was committing more and more errors of judgment, execution and
even memory. One day he couldn’t even remember the name of the
Biddenbrooks’ mascot, that big smiley whale. Drippy Daggy Lippy
Lilly. He had said that at the meeting and everyone looked at him in
horror. They didn’t know if it was a joke and were teetering on the
edge of forced laughter and fear. Leona had chimed in with “Levi.”
Short for Leviathan. From the bible. The creative department had
long ago thought it up. Because the Turks had flavored their coffee
with ambergris. Because whales were huge and powerful, but as they
were mammals, caring too. They had a bunch of other equally clever
reasons. But how could he ever forget the stupid whale’s name?
He had been forgetting so much lately. His mind was clouding
over like a cataract. After that meeting he confessed a fear to
someone for the first time in his life —to Leona, his confidant and
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