Page 4 (1/2)

"You decorate?" Art Streck asked

"No My aunt," Nora said She stood by the et without leaving the room "This was her place Iinherited it"

"If I was you," he said, "I’d heave all this stuff out of here Could be a bright, cheery rooht be all right for someone’s ht so Might be all right for a dried-up maiden aunt, but definitely not for a pretty lady like yourself"

Nora wanted to criticize his impertinence, wanted to tell him to shut up and fix the television, but she had no experience at standing up for herself Aunt Violet had preferred her ht corner of his mouth curled in a most unpleasant way It was almost a sneer

She forced herself to say, "I like it well enough"

"Not really?"

"Yes"

He shrugged "What’s theAnd there’s static, snow"

He pulled the television away fro, static-slashed ied in a small portable larandfather clock in the hall le chih the house

"You watch a lot of TV?" he asked as he unscrewed the dust shield frohttime soaps Dallas, Dynasty, that stuff"

"I never watch thehed slyly "Everybody watches ’em, even if they don’t want to ad than stories full of backstabbing, scheand adultery You knohat I’ues and say, ’Oh, hoful,’ but they really get off on it That’s hus to do in the kitchen," she said nervously "Call me when you’ve fixed the set" She left the roo door into the kitchen

She was tre She despised herself for her weakness, for the ease hich she surrendered to fear, but she could not help being what she was A mouse

Aunt Violet had often said, "Girl, there are two kinds of people in the world-cats and o where they want, do what they want, take what they want Cats are aggressive and self-sufficient by nature Mice, on the other hand, don’t have an ounce of aggression in theentle, and timid, and they’re happiest when they keep their heads down and accept what life gives them You’re a mouse, dear It’s not bad to be a ht not have as colorful a life as a cat, but if it stays safely in its burrow and keeps to itself, it’ll live longer than the cat, and it’ll have a lot less tur rooripped byanything, as she had told Streck For a moment she stood by the sink, one cold hand clasped in the other-her hands always see what to do until he finished his work and left She decided to bake a cake A yellow cake with chocolate icing That task would keep her occupied and help turn her

She got bowls, utensils, an electric redients out of the cupboards, and she set to work Soon her frayed nerves were soothed by thethe batter into the two baking pans, Streck stepped into the kitchen and said, "You like to cook?"

Surprised, she nearly dropped the e bowl and the battersed to hold on to them and-with only a little clatter to betray her tension-put them into the sink to be washed "Yes I like to cook"

"Isn’t that nice? I ad wo like that?"

"Needlepoint," she said

"That’s even nicer"

"Is the TV fixed?"

"Almost"

Nora was ready to put the cake in the oven, but she did not want to carry the pans while Streck atching her because she was afraid she would shake too much Then he’d realize that she was intiet bolder So she left the full pans on the counter and tore open the box of icingkitchen,around with an aht toward her "Think I could have a glass of water?"

Nora aler to believe that a drink of cold water was all that had brought hilass from the cupboard, ran the cold water

When she turned to hand it to hi crept up with catlike quiet She gave an involuntary start Water slopped out of the glass and splattered on the floor

She said, "You-"

"Here," he said, taking the glass fro her with icy blue eyes "Oh, I certainly didn’t mean to I’m sorry I’m harmless, Mrs Devon Really, I am All I want is a drink of water You didn’t think I wanted anything else-did you?"

He was so damned bold She couldn’t believe how bold he was, how sressive She wanted to slap his face, but she was afraid of ould happen after that Slapping hi double entendres or other offenses-seee rather than deter hi intensity, voraciously His smile was that of a predator

She sensed the best way to handle Streck was to pretend innocence and nore his nasty sexual innuendos as if she had not understood theht deal with any threat from which it was unable to flee Pretend you do not see the cat, pretend that it is not there, and perhaps the cat will be confused and disappointed by the lack of reaction and will seek more responsive prey elsewhere

To break away froaze, Nora tore a couple of paper towels froan to mop up the water she had spilled on the floor But the moment she stooped before Streck, she realized she’d made a mistake, because he did not move out of her way but stood over her, loomed over her, while she squatted in front of him The situation was full of erotic symbolism When she realized the submissiveness iain and saw that his smile had broadened

Flushed and flustered, Nora threw the damp towels into the waste can under the sink

Art Streck said, "Cooking, needlepointyeah, I think that’s real nice, real nice What other things do you like to do?"

"That’s it, I’m afraid," she said "I don’t have any unusual hobbies I’ person Low-key Dull, even"

Da unable to order the bastard out of her house, she slipped past him and went to the oven, ostensibly to check that it was finished preheating, but she was really just trying to get out of Streck’s reach