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He went to an intercom on the wall and pressed a button

"Callie, we’re starving up here Could you send us a tray? There are two of us and we’ll need so in the background: dishes being loaded into the dishwasher "Yes, Mr Bobby I’ll have Alicia bring so up"

"Thank you"

He limped over to one of the chairs and sat down "I eat when I’m anxious I’ve always done that Come sit down Shit, I hate this house I used to love it When I was a kid, it was great Places to run Places to hide A yard that went on forever Now it feels like a cocoon Insulated But it doesn’t keep bad stuff out It feels cold Are you cold?"

"I’m fine," I said

I sat down in the other chair He pushed the ottoman over and I put my feet up I wondered what it must be like to live in a house like this where all of your needs were tended to, where so and food preparation, cleaning, trash removal, landscape maintenance What did it leave you free to do? "What’s it like coine it"

He hesitated, lifting his head

In the distance, we could hear the a a crescendo and then winding down abruptly with a whine of regret He glanced atself-consciously at his chin "You think we’re spoiled?" The two halves of his face seees: one animated, one dead

"How do I know? You live a lot better than most," I said

"Hey, we do our share Myfor local charities and she’s on the board for the art museum and the historical society I don’t know about Derek He plays golf and hangs out at the club Well, that’s not fair He has some investments he looks after, which is how they randfather left ot married, he left the bank Anyway, they support a lot of causes so it’s not like they’re just self-indulgent, grinding the poor underfoot My mother launched the Santa Teresa Girls’ Club just about single-handedly The Rape Crisis Center too"

"What about Kitty? What does she do with herself besides get loaded?"

He looked at h"