ll glass with water
and set them on the counter. She motioned Patrick to the back of the
deli where she put her arms around him. "Patrick?"

"Mmmm." The hug was warm and intense, but there was work, a sandwich,
breakfast . . .

"Good morning," she said happily, letting him go.

"I need a sandwich--got to go to work."

"Roast beef?" She made the sandwich while Patrick chose a pint of
orange juice and a banana.

"Want to meet me at the Depresso later?" he asked.

"I can't tonight," she said.

"Oh." He was surprised by his disappointment.

"Tomorrow?" she offered.

"O.K., good. Around five?" That was better. "Oh, Willow . . . " He
turned in the doorway. "I've been thinking about science and art
again."

"I'll be brave," she promised. Patrick skipped into the News Shop
feeling much better. Parker put him on a job on the Wittenberg Road,
working with Gino's crew. There was a lot of scraping to be done.
Patrick rolled a bandanna the way Wilson did and stripped to the waist.

By break time, he was sweating and relaxed, a large section of one side
done. Parker passed out cups of coffee. Patrick ate his banana. Talk
jumped from the war to cars to women to growing grass to IBM. There was
an IBM plant in Kingston. It had become a symbol of the culture moving
in a bad direction. IBM'rs made good money--it was conceded--but they
had to wear white shirts and ties; they were considered sell outs, one
step removed from robots. Gino told a story about a friend of his who
had struggled through a university degree in engineering.

"He was halfway through, dropped out, and got drafted. He also got
married, but he couldn't live off base until he was finished with a
training program in Alabama. Cleo, his wife, had an apartment in town,
and Eddie stayed too late one night. The main gate closed. He had to be
in formation, or whatever they call it, early in the morning before he
could get back on base." Gino sipped coffee. "There was a river along
one side of the base. He walked into it--at night, pitch black, snakes,
alligators--and started swimming. He made it."

Gino shook his head. "After he got out of the Army, he went back to the
university and got a job at IBM. He was O.K. until one night at
Buckman's. Eddie's father is a builder, and some of his crew were in
there. They got on him.

"'Hey Eddie, like that neon tan, Eddie!'

"'Jesus, watch it, he'll hit you with his slide rule.'

"So, Eddie had a few beers, went home