BEg2 ch 37 / part deux

[Michael Bailey]

“So,” innocent as she can manage, “how was krav maga today?”

     (Ziggy)    “You know, funny you should ask. I begin to see the point.”


The point of Krav Maga? Maybe, but Krav Maga would’ve been the initiative
of Ziggy, wouldn’t it?

so why would he need reinforcement of the point of it?

Or maybe it *was* Maxine’s initiative (like my mom making me join the Boy
Scouts “you’ll thank me later”) born of her caution w/r/t an ethnicity
which is, ahmm, subject to a certain amount of embattlement from various
quarters.

And also, her profession draws unwelcome attention at times - such as the
recent voice on Windust’s answering machine - towards Maxine and her family.


So, rather than, “fine, how was your day?” Ziggy replies with a tale of
derring-do involving a would-be intruder (and possible would-be kidnapper
of classmate Nigel) triggering a flash-bang tripwire at the “dojo”,
whereupon Ziggy helped Emma the instructor disable and disarm the large
chap & put him out on the street, “next to a broken pressboard credenza,
swollen and lopsided from rainwater”

(Ah, street furniture.)


Sidebar - precocious young’uns:
Otis and Fiona seem to be quarreling about the terms of a contract of
employment she’s considering signing. He’s advising her to reject a
perpetuity clause.



Horst comes home with Emma’s side of the Krav Maga story; Maxine (white
with anxiety) is scared to tell him her worries about this not being “just
another boating accident” because of all the other stuff about Windust that
will inevitably come out if she does, and how that will affect Horst’s
insanely jealous aspect.


So they “stash” the boys at Elaine & Ernie’s for awhile, Horst relishing
the alone time with Maxine to such an extent that he gives her the keys to
the Impala.

Do we infer from the “the” that it isn’t just a spare set he’s giving her -
that he’s ceding custody of it to her, despite the divorce terms that made
it his?

Maybe: “Why would I need these?”

         “Just in case.”

         “Of . . .”

         “Nothing solid, only a feeling.”

         “A what, Horst?”

Is this a feeling like he gets in the markets?



One night when Horst is out with his partner & some venture capitalists,
Maxine stays over at her parents’.
She can’t sleep, ends up on the sofa with her father, eating popcorn &
watching a rare Marx Brothers version of “Don Giovanni”

“They cut the Commendatore so there’s no Donna Anna, no Don Ottavio, this
way,
            without the murder, it’s a comedy.”


Then Ernie tells her about the Internet in probably the most-quoted
passages in the book.


Maxine then opens up and tells her dad about Windust (not everything) &
confirms that Horst is back in the picture.

His advice isn’t lengthy:
“ Well, as far as this other guy, better somebody else should deal with the
flowers,
            the eulogies. Like Joe Hill always sez, don’t mourn, organize.
And a word of fashion
            advice from your stylish old man here, wear some color, stay
away from too much black.”