I try like the devil to keep an open mind about people and things, but this Murray guy was going to take all I had in me. He looked like he was about five feet, seven inches or so. It's kind of hard to tell, but he was shorter than I was, and I'm five ten. He weighed way more than he needed to, also. That was one thing about me and Brian, and Tim and Kyle. We were lean and trim, but not him. I don't have any idea how much he weighed, but I bet he was at least twenty pounds overweight. He had this stupid-ass blue hair, and he bad needed a haircut, too. It wasn't all that long, I guess, but it wasn't neat. It was growing all down the back of his neck, like it gets when you wait too long to see about it. When Kyle grew his hair out for the play, he still got regular haircuts to keep it neat. Another thing is, somebody needed to turn that boy loose with a razor and some shave gel. He had this little shadow of a moustache that a lot of guys think looks cool but really doesn't. He had hair in spots all over his face, too. He just needed to be cleaned up. And not only that, he didn't have good hygiene habits, either. There was no telling how long he had had those clothes on, and you could smell 'em. He and Tim and Brian had walked ahead of me and Kyle a little bit at the fishing thing. "Kyle, we need to work on this boy," I said. "He didn't take a shower before he came here, you know." "I didn't think he had," Kyle said. "Maybe he just takes 'em in the morning or something." "Kyle, did you get close enough to him to smell him?" I asked. "No. Does he smell bad?" "Yes, he smells bad. He smells dirty," I said. "I wonder if that's all the clothes he's got." "Could be. You didn't have any," he said, just a-grinning at me. I ignored that. "I don't fault the boy for not having clothes, if he's poor," I said. "But I'm thinking he considers what he's wearing as his uniform or something." "There were some people at school who called themselves Goths. His clothes and all that shit on him make me think that's what he is," Kyle said. "They were sort of misfits, too. Some of them were pretty smart, but the only activity they were in was drama." "Were they weird?" I asked. "I thought they were, but they probably thought I was weird, too, 'cause I dress preppy," he said. "Let's catch up with them." When we got there, Murray was lighting up a cigarette. I sure didn't care if he smoked, but, God, the way he held it. Worse than a girl. It made me want to slap it out of his hand. "What kind of prizes do they give in this tournament? Do you know, Babe?" Tim asked. Murray picked right up on that, and he looked at Tim like he had just dropped the ole turd in the punchbowl. "They give money prizes," Kyle said. "The biggest blue marlin wins a hundred thousand dollars," he said. "A couple of years ago, they caught one that weighed over a thousand pounds. Broke the state record." "They give that much money just for a fish?" I asked. I couldn't believe it. "It's in the program," Kyle said. "See? Second place gets seventy-five thousand, and third place gets fifty thousand. The other fish get forty, twenty, and ten thousand each." "What other fish they catch?" I asked. "Dolphin, tuna, and Wahoo," Brian said. "Read the program, Buddy." "No, I'm not reading it. I want you to tell me. That's what I got you for," I said. God, that boy was cute. Somebody had cranked up an amplifier, and it looked like some people over in the party area were starting to dance. "Do y'all want to go over and dance?" Kyle asked. "We probably should dance with girls here, though." "I think it's too hot to dance," Tim said. "But I'll go over there with you, if you want to dance, Babe." "Naw, that's okay. It is pretty hot," Kyle said. "Why do you call him 'Babe,'" Murray asked. I think those were the first words he'd said all night. "It's just a pet name," Tim said. "He's my boyfriend." I wish you could have seen the look on Murray's face when Tim let that cat out the bag. "And Justin's my boyfriend," Brian said. "We're all gay in the house, Murray. Didn't Mr. Williams tell you that?" He shook his head "no." "I don't think he tells people that," Kyle said. "Denny didn't know either when he first came here." "You're gay, aren't you?" Brian asked Murray. "So what if I am?" he said, sort of defiant, like he was fixing to fight Brian. "So nothing," Bri replied. "We'd still like you, even if you weren't." The verdict was still out on that, as far as I was concerned. "So, er, does that mean you guys have sex and all?" he asked. "Yeah, but only with our partners," I said. And definitely not with you, I thought. "Denny and I are like you. We're foster sons of Kevin and Rick. The rest of the guys there are honoraries," Brian said. "And there are four more guys who are part of the family, too. They all live together. Two couples." "We should have given them a call to see if they wanted to come tonight," I said. "I mentioned it to Jeff, but he didn't seem real interested," Kyle said. "It probably sounded too 'outdoors' for him." All of a sudden, there was lightning, and the wind started to blow. There was a storm coming in, and it was coming in fast. Before we knew it, it was raining. "Shit," Kyle said. "Let's go." The tent they had set up wasn't big enough for everybody. We ran over to a condo or something, and tried to stay dry under a balcony. Well, that was about useless, and we all got wet. "Let's go over to where the buses dropped us off to see if we can get on one," Kyle said. "This sucks." To get to the buses, you had to go in the rain. Not that it really made any difference, as wet as we already were. There were people already there, and a bus full of people pulled up right after we got there. They didn't want to get off, and I couldn't blame them. There was a man there handing out umbrellas to them, though, so slowly people started getting off the bus. There were quite a few people wanting to get on the bus, and it looked like we might not make it. We finally squeezed in, though, and we had to stand up. It wasn't a long trip, but it sure was uncomfortable. I guess we were lucky, though. By the time we got to the parking lot, the rain had already started to slack. "It's stopping. Do y'all want to go back?" Kyle asked. "Hell, no. I want to get some dry clothes on," I said. "I wasn't having that good a time, anyway." "Okay. Get in," Kyle said. "We're going to get the car all wet," Tim said. "Don't worry about that. It'll dry out," Kyle said. When we got to the house, both of Kevin and Rick's cars were there. Those rascals had beaten us home, and they probably hadn't gotten wet, either. "Y'all got caught in it, huh?" Kevin asked. "Yeah. They should have planned for that," Kyle said. "They did. They bought a bunch of umbrellas," Kevin said. "We saw them giving 'em out to people getting off the bus, but we didn't get any," Kyle said. "Well, you didn't melt," Rick said. "Go get cleaned up and come on down." "Underwear?" Brian asked. "Yeah, that's fine," Rick said. "It's just going to be us." "A lot of times when it's just us and some of our friends, we hang around in just our underwear, Murray," Brian said. "Usually in the mornings, but sometimes at night, too." Murray did his face like he wasn't sure he liked that idea. "Of course, you don't have to, Murray. It's just our way of being informal," Kevin said. "I'm not even going upstairs," I said, and I started stripping off my wet clothes. Ole Murray eyed me up, too. "Me, either," Kyle said, and he started stripping, too. "Put those clothes in the washer and run the load," Rick said. I started gathering up wet clothes. "Give me your clothes, Murray," I said. "I'll wash 'em for you." He hadn't even started taking his clothes off yet. He was too busy watching the show. Or maybe they were stuck to him, they were so dirty. "Come on, man. It's just us, and we're your brothers. You're going to see more dick around this place than you knew existed, so don't be shy," I said. He took his wallet out of his pants, and he finally got undressed. He was wearing boxer shorts, and if I had had to predict, that's exactly what I knew he would have on. He was just that kind. I went ahead and started the wash. "Did everybody get enough to eat?" Kevin asked, just as I was coming back into the room. I had stopped in the kitchen and washed my hands after handling Murray's clothes. Everybody said they did. I cozied up next to Brian, and I held his hand. They didn't mind if we did stuff like that in public. Just no sex. We sat there a little while, talking and relaxing. Murray seemed like he felt out of place. "Murray, tell us about yourself," Rick said. "Like what?" he asked. "What grade are you in?" Rick asked. "I'm going to be in tenth next year," he said. "Oh, that's the grade Denny's in," Rick said. "I think you'll like Denny. He's a real nice boy. In fact, we were thinking you and he could work together." "Work?" he asked. Don't tell me you don't know what that is, I thought. I kept my mouth shut, though. "All of us work every day," Kevin said. "All the boys have jobs for the summer, and we'd like you to have one, too." "Doing what?" he asked. Most boys would jump at a chance for a job, no matter what it was. I couldn't believe that character, like he had a choice in the matter. "Denny works as a pool boy at a hotel. We thought you could work with him doing the same thing," Rick said. "We want you to make sure you use sunscreen, too." "Tomorrow?" he asked. "Yeah, tomorrow's good. There isn't too much time left in the summer, but at least you'll be able to earn a few bucks," Kevin said. "I get to keep the money?" he asked. "You can give it to me," I said. Everybody laughed, and he even smiled a little. I reckon he figured he was going to have to turn the money in or something. I guess that sort of put his not being eager to work in perspective. I was glad I hadn't opened my big mouth. "Tell us about your mother," Kevin said. "My mother?" he asked in reply. "Doesn't your mother have cancer?" Kevin asked. "No. I mean, I don't know. I don't know where my mother is," he said. "Who were you living with?" Kevin asked. "I was living with my grandmother. She's in a nursing home because she fell and broke her hip. I think she's probably going to have to stay there, too. At least for a while," he said. "She's pretty old." "I got the story wrong from Mr. Williams," Kevin said. "Would you like to call your grandmother and tell her where you are?" His face finally lit up a little bit when Kevin said that. "Yes," he said. "Babe, it's almost ten o'clock," Rick said. "Maybe he should wait and call her tomorrow." "Yeah, you're right," Kevin said. "One of y'all lend him your cell phone tomorrow so he can call, okay, guys?" "Not a problem," Kyle said. It was getting on toward bedtime, and half of us were yawning. Brian and I told everybody good night, and we went up to bed. "Don't start," Brian said, as soon as we were in bed. "Don't start what?" I asked. "Don't start on Murray," he said. He was giggling a little. "Little Buddy, you've got to admit . . . " "I know. He's got a long way to go, but we'll get him there. Make love to me," he said. He didn't have to say that twice.
The next morning everybody but Paddy was at the breakfast room table on time. I figured he had spent the night with Drew. Brady had evidently spent the night at our house, and he was there, too. We introduced him to Murray. "You and I are going to be working together," Denny said to Murray. "Do you have a bathing suit? That's what you need to wear." I was pleased to see that Murray had on a short sleeve tee shirt that morning. He had on black jeans, though, and, of course, the shirt was black, too. "I have a bathing suit, but I look horrible in it," he said. "That's what you need to wear, though. It doesn't look like you've had much sun," Denny said. "You might want to wear a tee shirt, but a white one." "I don't have a white one," he said. "What kind of shape are your clothes in, Murray?" I asked. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Well, do you have enough?" I asked. "You'll probably need some new ones for school, too." He had come in with a couple of beat-up suitcases and some hanging clothes, but I didn't really have time to check that out. Brian had helped him get settled, and he piped up. "He's got a few nice clothes, but he's going to need more," Bri said. "Oh, and don't forget about allowance." "You're right, Bri. Thanks for reminding us," Rick said. Rick explained how the allowance business worked, and Murray seemed pretty excited about that. "You're going to like living here, Bubba," Denny said. "Why does everybody call me Bubba?" Murray asked. The boys smiled. "'Cause you are our Bubba, that's why," Justin said. He used his grumble tone, and Murray seemed taken aback by that. We all knew Jus, Kyle, and Rick only used that tone in affection, but poor ole Murray didn't know it yet. "Are you mad at me?" he asked Jus. They all laughed. "No, I'm not mad at you, Murray," Justin said. "I was just playing with you." "Murray, you won't ever be fussed at in this house unless you deserve it, Bubba," Brian said. "When you're here a while, you'll see just how happy this place is." "It really is, Murray. I didn't know what happiness was until I came here," Denny said. "Me, too," Justin said. "We don't have a personnel orientation for new employees this morning, since it's the middle of the week. Kyle, can you take care of getting him signed up at the Goodson Building?" I asked. "I sure can," Kyle said. "I've got some pictures I want to print. Can I print them while I'm there?" "Yeah, but it's a business day, remember. Don't tie up the printer too long," I said. "No, sir. I won't. And he needs to call his grandma, too. Oh, I almost forgot. We're getting a new set of crew shirts made so we can wear 'em tonight," Kyle said. He got up and got a pad and a pencil. "Help me make a list of who all needs one," he said. We helped Kyle make the list, and it was a good bit longer than it had been the last time we had bought those. He didn't include the New Orleans people or the Sarasota people, but he did include his and Tim's parents, and the four boys at the townhouse. "Where are you going to get them made?" Rick asked. He had ordered the last lot. "There's a place on the parkway that does it. It's in the same shopping center as Publix," he said. "Do you need some money?" Rick asked. "Naw," he said. "I think I might wait to print those pictures. I can drop him off and go do that while he's in personnel." "Take him up there, though. Don't just drop him off," I said. "I know," Kyle said. "Murray, go get your bathing suit so we can go."
Usually, Tim and Denny rode to work with me, and Justin took his own car, with Paddy along for the ride. That morning, though, it was just me and Murray. Paddy showed up just as we were leaving so he could put on his uniform for work, and he'd take the Mazda by himself. Brian drove himself every day because he had to go to school before he went to work. Plus, he didn't work with us, anyway. It was pretty complicated, but we had a good bit of rolling stock. We were passing a Walgreen's and I swung in. Murray wanted to know what we were doing. "You'll see," I said. First stop, shaving supplies. "Have you got a razor?" I asked. "No," he said. "I didn't think so. Well, you're getting one. I'll teach you how to use it." I put a razor, some extra blades, a can of shaving gel, and a bottle of aftershave in the buggy. "I've never shaved before," he said. "I know. I can tell, but starting now you're going to be shaving regular. That's not to say you can't grow something if you want to, but you ain't ready to do that yet. We gotta get rid of all that random shit on your face to clean you up," I said. He was finally smiling now and then, and he smiled when I told him he had to shave. That's pretty much a milestone in a boy's life, and he had reached it. "Have you got antiperspirant?" I asked. "No," he said. I didn't think so, but I didn't say anything. "This is what I use. Mennen Speed Stick. If you want something else, get it, but I'd recommend this," I said. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Because you need it, that's why. Look, Murray. We take the concept of brotherhood very serious in that house, and you're our newest brother. Brothers help each other out. That's all there is to it," I said. Don't argue with me, you little fuck, I thought. I'll smack the shit out of you, if you do. "Okay. The next thing. The hair." He smiled when I said that. He knew the damn truth. "What's the natural color? Brown?" I asked. "Yeah," he said. "Let's see what they got to get that shit you got in there now, out of it," I said. "I don't think it'll come out," he said. "Well, let's find a color that is a normal human hair color so you can cover it up," I said. "But I like my hair the way it is," he said. I stopped dead in my tracks. "Murray, I know it's fun to experiment with different hair colors. Summer before last, I was a bright blond, and so was Tim. I'm sure people could tell I had bleached it, but I had fun with it. But there's a big difference between bleached blond and blue," I said. "A big difference." "I know," he said. He was laughing a little bit. Maybe we could salvage this kid, I thought. "How about auburn? That's a natural color that's kind of rare," I said. "Naw. Let's go with brown," he said. "And then it's going to need to be cut and styled," I said. "I know," he said. "One last thing. The fingernails," I said. I got some fingernail polish remover and put it in the buggy. "About your fingernails. That long one on your right pinky. What's that all about?" "I just think it looks cool," he said. "You're cutting it," I said. "Why?" he asked. "Murray, around here we're taught in school that guys who have a much longer fingernail on their pinky finger use that fingernail to snort drugs. You ain't going to be doing any of that shit here, so you might as well cut it off," I said. He got this stunned look on his face. He really didn't know. "Kyle, I don't use drugs," he said. "But see, people are going to see that and think you do. That's why it's got to go. Do you have a nail kit?" I asked. "No, I just bite them off when they get too long," he said. Same aisle. Nail kits. Into the buggy. "Do you need anything else?" I asked. All of a sudden, he got these big ole tears in his eyes. Shit, I thought. Did I hurt his feelings? I hadn't even been talking in the grumble to him. "What's the matter, Bubba?" I asked. "Nothing," he said, and he wiped his eyes. At the checkout, I asked for three packs of Marlboro Red Box cigarettes. That's what he smoked, and I knew he couldn't buy 'em. I could, though, and I did. The whole mess of it came to about thirty dollars, and I thought that was money well spent. After we were back in the car, he said, "Kyle, nobody has ever been this nice to me before. Thank you." "You're welcome. Let's get you over to Goodson because I have another errand to run. When we finish there, I'm going to take you home to take care of some of this stuff with your grooming, okay?" I said. "Okay," he said. When we walked into the personnel office, everybody in the place stared at him. He was a fright, sure enough. I could tell he was embarrassed, too, and I thought that was good. That would keep him motivated to clean up. I said hello to all my friends in that department, and I left him there to fill out his forms and do all that shit. Kevin had already called, and they were expecting him. At the shirt place, I gave the lady my list. "Now, I'm telling you. I absolutely have to have these for tonight. Can you do it?" I asked. "Oh, yeah. I can have these for you by noon, in fact," the lady said. "Good. I guess you need some money," I said. "Yes," she said. She told me the amount, and I pulled out my company credit card. Goodson was paying for this, not me. After I finished there, I went into Publix to say hello to my buddy who ran the deli. "Hey, Kyle. What's up, man?" he said. "Not much. What's up with you?" I asked. "Have you got a party coming up?" he asked. "Naw. I was just next door at the shirt place, and I just wanted to stop by and say hello," I said. "Well, while you're here, you can help me out. I want you to taste something," he said. He took me back into the kitchen part. I had been back there several times before, and I always loved going in there. On the stove was a pot of what looked like soup. He dipped me up a bowlful and handed it to me. "Be careful; it's hot," he said. I dipped out a spoonful and blew on it to cool it. It smelled great, but the smell was nothing compared to the taste. It was fabulous. "What the hell is this? It's wonderful," I said. "It's oyster-artichoke soup. Do you like it?" he asked. "Do I like it? Oh, my God! I want to put my face in the bowl," I said. "You going to start selling this?" "That's the plan," he said. "You really like it?" "No! I love it," I said. Shut up and let me eat, I thought. "I got the recipe out of a Brennan's Restaurant cookbook. That's a restaurant in New Orleans," he said. "I know. I've been there," I said. "At least I think I have. I'll be going there next time, if I haven't been." He was grinning all over himself. "Seriously, this is some good shit," I said. "Can I buy some?" "How about if I give you a half gallon of it?" he said. "How about if you give me a half gallon and I buy a half gallon? I'm going to need a gallon of this, at least, for one meal for my family," I said. "How about if I give you a gallon and a half?" he asked. "Even better," I said. I was glad we were going home after I picked Murray up. I would have had to go home, anyway, to get that stuff in the refrigerator. Man, I was thinking that was my lucky day to get that soup. * * * Murray really looked shook up when I picked him up. He was waiting in the parking lot for me. "What's the matter, Bubba?" I asked, when he got into my car. "Kyle, I really felt stupid in there," he said. "Felt stupid? Why?" I asked. "Because of the way I look," he said. "Well, we're fixing to take care of that right now," I said. And we did. It took a full two hours to get him looking good. I remembered about me shaving Denny in the shower and him coming on my leg, so we didn't do that. I noticed Murray got hard when I shaved him in front of the mirror, but at least we didn't have any cum to clean up. The longest part was dying his hair. "I wish we had time to get you to a hair salon," I said. Then it hit me. "Hey, wait a minute. There's one in the hotel. You can do that before you go to work. Oh, and let me get you a white tee shirt. Denny said you need to wear one, and you do. And put on plenty of sunscreen, okay? You're about the whitest white boy I ever saw in my life." He and I had fun giving him a make-over. He was very effeminate, but he was also very funny. I didn't react as strong to effeminate guys as Justin did, especially if they were funny. And that boy was funny, and smart, too. You just never know. It was eleven o'clock when we finally got to the hotel. I took him in the employee entrance and into the hair salon right away without going through the lobby. He came out in thirty minutes a new man, and he looked pretty good, too. That fat's got to get off your ass next, I thought. I took him out to where Denny was, and Denny was amazed at the change in him. He was praising him sky high, too, and that's just exactly what you need to do with somebody like him. "You still ain't called your grandma," I said. "Do you know the number?" "I have it written down in my wallet," he said. I tossed him my cell, which was a mistake because he dropped it. He dug out that wallet. "Go sit at that table over there and talk to her," I said. He must have figured I was the boss, or something, because I had been giving him orders all morning long. He did what I said, though. "Kyle, that's amazing. Did he get a haircut, too?" Denny asked. "Yeah. I feel like I'm Ricki Lake giving people make-overs. You're next on the list, by the way," I said. "Me? Why me?" "I'm just teasing you, man. You don't need a make-over. You're already cute," I said. He had a deep, deep tan from all the time he had spent in the sun, but he still blushed.
I couldn't believe what was happening to me. When I got to that house on Wednesday afternoon, I was so scared I thought I was about to die. And then that dog jumped up on me, and I almost messed my pants. Kevin and Rick were real kind, but there were all those boys there. Some of them were athlete types, and I just knew they were going to intimidate me and pick on me. I knew I acted girly, but I couldn't help it. It was how I was. They didn't mention it, though. That first night we went out to this big fish thing, and we got caught in the rain. I hadn't had a chance to shower or change clothes in a few days, and I knew I was dirty. They said to take a shower before we went out, but I couldn't do it. I mean, it was like I was in a fog or paralyzed, and I couldn't force myself to do it. All I could do was sit on the bed and stare off into space. My grandmother had raised me after my dad died when I was six years old, first in New York and then in Florida. I loved her more than anything, and she was sick in a nursing home. I missed her so bad, and I wanted to be back in Crestview with her. I wanted to get in her lap, like I used to do when I was little, and let her hold me and protect me. But I couldn't do that. And then I found out they're all gay, and open about it. I had never known a gay person before, besides me, and every one of those boys said they were gay. None of them seemed gay to me, but they said they were. I wondered if that house was some kind of experiment or something, to see if gay guys could live together as a family. And then Kyle just sort of took over. Everything he said made sense to me, especially after I went to that office and all those grown ups looked at me funny. At my old school, I had wanted to fit in with the "normal" group, but I just couldn't. Then I found the Goths. They accepted me, and that's what I needed to survive. I mean, I didn't believe all that pagan stuff they talked about, but I went along with it to have friends. My only real friends were two girls, but at least I had them to hang out with. They were both Goths, of course. I wondered if they were lesbians, but they said they weren't. I was just a dumb freshman, and they were older. They seemed to care. But in all that time, nobody said to me that I was a freak, except guys who picked on me. Kyle never used that word, but that's what I was. The other boys in that house were clean-cut, good looking, and so totally normal acting. "Good God! What the hell happened to you?" Justin asked when he saw me that afternoon. "He had a make-over, that's what," Kyle said. "And you're next on the list, too." "What do you think I am, chopped liver?" Justin asked. What he said didn't make much sense to me, but I didn't say anything. "Don't even say that word to me, unless you want me to puke," Kyle said. "What? You don't like liver and onions? That's good, man," Justin said. "I love it. With grits? Oh, God, Kyle, I love it." "No, Justin. Don't go there," he said. "I swear. I'll puke in your lap if your talk about eating liver." "Oh, Kylie. You done opened up a whole new realm to me, Bubba," Justin said. "What time are we going to this thing tonight?" Kyle asked. "Kyle, don't change the subject," Justin said. "I almost forgot about the shirts," Kyle said. He got up and went outside to get them. "Murray, have you figured out yet that Kyle and I are best friends?" Justin asked. "Well, I was wondering," I said. "Don't wonder, Bubba. I love that man almost as much as I love my Brian," Justin said. Kyle came in with a box of shirts. He started giving them out, and each one had "Crew of The Clay" embroidered on it, plus our names. "Khaki shorts," Kyle said. I did have a pair of those, fortunately. And that's what we wore that night. Earlier in the day, I had spoken with my grandmother at her nursing home. "Hi, Nana," I said. "Hi, Murray. My baby. I've been worried to death about you," she said. "Don't, Nana. I'm in a good place," I said. "I got a make-over today. My hair is brown again." She laughed. "But I liked the blue," she said. "It matched your eyes." "Nana, my eyes are brown," I said. "I know, but they're sort of looked blue with the blue hair," she said. We both laughed. It was so good hearing her voice. We talked for a good thirty minutes. "Murray, you have tremendous potential. Don't waste it, son. It sounds like those boys there have their heads screwed on right. Learn from them, Murray. Grow, my baby. Become a mensch." "I think I've met a mensch here, Nana. His name is Kyle. I think I might be in love with him," I said. "You're too young to be in love," she said. "Is this Kyle a nice boy?" "Yeah, he's an extremely nice boy. And so is his boyfriend," I said. "You can be in love with the mensch if you want to, but don't try to break those boys apart. They'll only end up hating you, if it's the real thing between them," she said. "I know. And there's not much chance of that happening. They really love each other, Nana. It's obvious to me," I said. "Good. You'll learn what love looks like between two men. That's important. Your father was such a fine man. He was a mensch. And you are, too, my baby. They're getting ready to play bingo, and they want me to play, too. I think it's the Catholic influence in this place," she said. "I think these people here are Catholics," I said. "Catholic? Jewish? What's the difference? There's only one God, Murray. He's the same for everybody. God happens to be circumcised, but they don't know that," she said. "Nana!" I said, and I felt myself blush, even as I laughed. "Go have fun with your new friends. God's blessing on you. Goodbye, Murray. I love you. Call me again soon." "God's blessing on you, too, Nana. I love you, too. Goodbye." |