MAGIC (25 page)

—but so what if it rained, she’d still have a roof over her head, a man—she groaned. The man would be Duke. Blowing in her ear forever.

“That’s a little poem Corky made up about a jillion years ago. I wanna tell you something: it’s kept him warm a lot. Please take his present. He made it for you to remember him by. He’s leaving, Peg. But would you keep this thing?”

“What thing?”

“A heart. He whittled it for you before he sent me up here. It didn’t take him long, he’s quick with his hands—it’s the second heart he made for you—the first was when he left in high school but he threw it away in case you laughed at it or something.”

She was momentarily, goddammit, touched.

“I’ll just say this last and then I’ll go. The reason I told about the mind reading. Corky was too embarrassed to tell you himself. I lied when I said he’d done it before, that was just to make it as bad as possible. He felt that crappy about himself. But, see, Cork hasn’t got a lot of confidence and he did the mind reading because he didn’t think anyone as perfect as you would look at him otherwise.”

She said nothing but it was true; Corky was always running himself down.

“And Peg, he never thought you’d actually care for him. Then when you did and he’d lied, well, it killed him. It just destroyed him because you hate liars and he hates liars but for love he’d lied and he couldn’t go off with you for the rest of his life with a lie at the foundation. So that’s it. Would you take his heart, Peg?
At least if you did, he’d know you understood and didn’t feel contempt for him.”

“Oh I never felt contempt.”

“At least that’s something.”

“Leave it outside the door.”

“You won’t open it then?”

“Just leave it.”

There was a pause. She heard something touch the bottom of the door. “G’bye.”

Peg waited awhile before she said, “You didn’t walk away.”

“Brains as well as boobs.”

Peg caught herself before she smiled.

“—he
needs
you, Peg. He did stuff for you he never did for anybody—the coins dancing around his fingers—he doesn’t need me anymore—that’s what you mean to him, you give him that much confidence,
now take the goddam heart or he’ll die!”

It was really stupid not to at least take it. She’d been talking, was there any difference really in talking to someone through a door or with it open? Who was she kidding? Take the heart, nod, say good-bye. She got off the bed, unlocked the door, opened it and was twice surprised. Once was how lovely the heart was.

But why were the knives in his hand …?

Corky dropped the bloody knives on the overstuffed chair beside Fats. “Take a load off,” Fats said.

Corky walked slowly to the sofa, sat.

“You seem a little glum, a bit morose, don’t be, I got a piece of good news for you.”

Corky only shrugged.

“A: I wanna apologize. I was too rough before. It had to be done, things had to be got shipfuckingshape fast, but all in all, I wasn’t any too delicate and I’m sorry. But the biggie is this: I’m not gonna make you remember.”

Corky nodded.

“I’d like a little more enthusiasm, please. My God,
if I wanted to I could have you seeing her corpse and hearing her cry out and all that but I don’t carry a grudge like some people, so I hereby give you my promise I won’t let you remember. Say ‘Thank you.’ ”

“Thank you.”

“Now don’t you feel better?”

Corky shook his head and started to cry. He stretched full out on the sofa and sobbed.

“—aw Laddie, come on now—”

“—please—”

“—don’t go to pieces on me—”

Corky could not stop crying.

“All right, it’s been a big day, get it out of your system.”

Corky kept on sobbing.

“Wanna tell Fats about it?”

“She … liked the heart …”

“You’re a great whittler, she damn well should have.”

“… I pleased her … no tricks … just me …”

“Sure, sure. Feeling a little more under control now?”

Corky nodded.

“Okay, good, pay attention now because I think it’s time we did a little serious changing in the act, so let me hit you with a couple notions: what say we down on the magic and replace it with me doing a couple of snazzy musical numbers, say you like it.”

“I like it.”

“Good, I kind of had a feeling you would because … because …”

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know how to say this since I haven’t got a stomach, but my stomach hurts.”

“Bad?”

“Getting … bad.”

Corky’s arm slipped to the floor.

“Getting … real bad now …”

“Yes …”

“… what—is this …?”

“… we’re dying I think is what it is …”

“… dying …?”

“… after I gave her the … heart … on my way back down … I put them deep in me …”

“… Christ it’s spreading … getting worse …”

“… I know …”

“… don’t leave me here alone …”

“… I would … never …”

“… can you get over …?”

Corky slowly used his arms, got across the floor. “… what now …?”

“… put me … flat …”

Corky did his best. “… help any …?”

Fats lay on the soft chair cushion. “… I hope I don’t go first is all …”

Corky had to close his eyes. “… Fats …?”

“… right here, Laddie …”

“… she really liked my heart …”

“… why didn’t you … take off with her then …? you had control … why didn’t you just go …?”

“… cuz … she would never have left with me … I couldn’t face failure again … see, I couldn’t even make her open the door alone … it was never me … always us …”

“… schmucko … us was you …”

“… huh …?”

“… it was you all the time …”

“… you sure …?”

“… trust me for a while …”

Peggy lay on the bed for a long time and studied the lovely wooden heart. God he had wonderful hands. She stayed on the bed, turning the heart over and over. Then she got up and examined herself in the mirror. She looked fifty easy, what with the puffy eyes and the wrinkled clothes, but a change of wardrobe could fix the one, Max Factor could go a long way toward helping with the other. When she was pretty again, she put on a nice dress because even though she didn’t love him, Corky’s kind of talent you had to string along with, and with that thought firmly in mind, she went down to the cabin to tell him so …