Hocus Croakus by Mary Daheim Read Free Book Online Page A

gambling? Where would we all be then?”
    Judith looked askance. “Not broke?”
    â€œYou know what I mean,” Renie said with a scowl. “Several years ago, the only place we saw young people in the Nevada casinos was up at Lake Tahoe. They’d come to ski, but they stayed to gamble.”
    â€œSpeaking of the younger set,” Judith said, watching Renie just miss dropping lettuce on the bodice of her bronze-and-gold sweater, “how are the wedding plans going? You haven’t mentioned it lately.”
    Renie glanced at Bill. The previous fall, all three Jones children had announced their engagements. “What can we say?” Renie said with a sigh. “They keep changing their minds about when and where. We keep pushing for a triple wedding. Frankly, I don’t think any of them will get married this year.”
    â€œJobs,” said Bill. “We’d like to see Anne and Tony and Tom all get real jobs before they get married. We’d like to see them get out of graduate school. We’d like to see them get—”
    â€œNot out of the house,” Renie said in a scolding voice. “We don’t want them to feel that we don’t love them.”
    Bill frowned at his wife. “Of course we love them. But it would be nice if they lived somewhere else before they hit midlife crises and you and I are hauled off to a home for the gaga.”
    Joe grinned at Bill. “For a psychologist, you have a way of avoiding professional jargon.”
    Bill shrugged. “Nuts is nuts.”
    Renie leaned toward the others and spoke in aconfidential tone. “I think Bill wants to go to the Gaga House. He has this fantasy where the nurses wear short skirts and sheer black stockings with seams and—”
    â€œYou have your bosom in the salad dressing,” Bill cut in. “Never mind, Joe and Judith don’t need to hear it.”
    â€œI’d like to,” Joe said. “In fact, I might like to go there myself.”
    â€œNever mind,” Renie said, using a napkin to dab off the glob of dressing.
    â€œI was so relieved when Mike settled down,” Judith remarked as their entrées arrived. “But I worry that one of these days the forest service will transfer him. He could end up anywhere. I’d hate to see Mike and Kristin and the boys move to the other end of the country. I’m so used to having them an hour away from town.”
    â€œThe kids were both so cute when we saw them during the holidays,” Renie put in. “Mac is smart as a whip and Joe-Joe is just adorable. I would kind of like to have grandchildren. It’s the road to getting them that seems pretty rugged. Hey!” Renie cried as her salad plate was whisked away. “I’m not done.”
    â€œYou look done to me,” said the red-haired waiter. But his smile was pleasant enough.
    â€œIt’s all worth it,” Judith declared. “Of course, we had only one child to marry off.”
    Bill glanced at Judith. “Yes. One.”
    â€œAnd a boy at that,” Renie murmured.
    â€œGood steak,” Joe remarked. “But they sure hurry you through the meal to get to the magic act.”
    â€œDon’t call it ‘magic,’” Judith said. “Mandolini is an illusionist. I happened to meet—”
    She was interrupted by a woman whose brown hair was done up in a very tall topknot. “Excuse me,” she said in a slow, deliberate manner. “You’re sitting at our house table. There must be some mistake.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Joe replied. “We’re guests of Pancho Green, the casino manager.”
    â€œThen,” the woman responded, “the maître d’ made a mistake. This is the table reserved for the Great Mandolini’s friends and guests.” She paused to point to the table behind them, which was already occupied by two Asian couples. “That’s where you