Eight of Wands

Our Rooming House—MORNING

When I come down to the parlor in the morning, Maggie and Sailor Lou are packing for their trip with help from some of the temporary workers we’ve had on crew of late. A cruise to celebrate their nth anniversary.

Maggie is just throwing stuff into a trunk at this point, and Lou yells.

“¡Cuidado! Juan está detrás de la puerta!”

I am surprised that Sailor Lou has picked up that much Spanish from our day workers. As an afterthought, I am then even more surprised I had understood too.

Why he yelled at Maggie in Spanish remains a mystery too.

The Sailor is very excited about the trip though and when he spots me awake and downstairs playfully circles me as if I am a wrestler entering the ring. I do not engage him. But he still runs in and throws me to the carpet, as Maggie walks in. She looks at me helpless under her husband and tsks.

“Frank, are you drinking?”

I cover my mouth and say “No.”

For good measure I hop back up to my room to brush my teeth again. No one needs to know I have hit the sauce now that Andrea has taken off. I go to the sink and turn it on but it is clogged and overflows everywhere.

Back downstairs, the other tenants are starting to emerge in their pajamas to see what the fuss is all about.

“What fun. This is like a pajama party. Just like when we were kids. I wish I had those ones with the feet still,” Maggie beams breathlessly, “I want to be a kid again!”

She has bought inflatable, squeaking costumes and hand them out to the tenants to wear as a lark. There is a blue for the Sailor and yellow for her. The Sailor laughs and jokes with the tenants.

“Are we supposed to be dressed as rockets?” he chuckles pulling on the big inflatable hat.

The old crank from upstairs frowns, as he sticks his own purple tube on his head. “It looks more like we’re a bunch of dildos to me.” We all agree, especially, when I point out, with the cartoon sperm decals lacquered on the back of the crank’s costume.

“No, look at the flag,” Lou insists pointing to the stars and bars on the front of his costume, “I’m an astronaut.”