The Advocate

“You should put pictures in your book. Know any funny dessert names? It’s not a bear claw. I thought of that one myself.”

He puts the book in a blue bag, drops the bag on the bed, and stands still for a time. He looks at me. “Is it spumoni?”

“Is what spumoni?”

“The funny dessert name.”

“I don’t know. What’s spumoni?”

He turns back to the bag, takes a rag and a little bottle from it. Pours stuff from the bottle on the rag.

“What’s that, Craig?”

“Something to help you. Forgive me, Larry,” he says and the man turns and sticks this rag in my face. In my face! Believe that? Never hurt this guy in my life, except tell him about his ugly dumb book with no pictures.

Choke, dizzy, bad smell, and I push him away hard with a kick. Coughing. I look down and he’s on my yellow rug. Bet he hit his head, too. Make me sniff his old rag. Bastard.