The Great Man by Kate Christensen Read Free Book Online Page A

slid out a piece of paper carefully folded into thirds. On it was a brief handwritten note. “‘Dear Lila,’” Teddy read out loud. “‘I don’t know whether you know about Oscar’s two new biographers. Their names are Henry Burke and Ralph Washington, and they’re both nosing around Oscar’s family and friends this summer in hopes of getting information about him for their respective books. I imagine they’ll contact you, as the best friend of Oscar’s mistress. If they do, please notify me before you speak to either one of them. There are a few things I’d like to discuss. Thank you. Sincerely, Maxine Feldman,’ and then she wrote her phone number.”
    “You call her,” said Lila. “She’s got nothing to do with me.”
    “You’re scared of her.”
    “She’s some kind of fanged beast.”
    “‘Oscar’s mistress’?” Teddy repeated. “Good God.”
    “What do you think she wants?”
    “I think she just wants…power. What she always wanted. I’m sure it’s about that bet with Oscar. I’ll call her, don’t worry. I’d better go, Lila. I have so much to do in the backyard, and I have to get ready for this guy, what’s his name, Ralph Washington.”
    “Don’t go yet,” said Lila. “Have some more coffee.”
    “It’ll be fine, Lila,” said Teddy, following Lila into her kitchen and somewhat reluctantly accepting another cup of coffee. “Do you want to come and have lunch with us? The kids are supposed to come over, but I know Samantha will cancel at the last minute, and anyway, there’s plenty of food.”
    “Why would she do that?”
    “Because she doesn’t want anything to do with Oscar or his biography. She’s mad at him; Ruby’s mad at me. So complicated with kids, even when they’re almost forty. Jesus, if I’d known, I might have opted out of the whole circus.”
    “No, you wouldn’t have, Teddy.”
    They went back out to the porch and sat down again and looked out over the garden. Teddy noticed that Lila’s hyacinths were flourishing; last summer they had moped and drooped.
    “‘They call me the hyacinth girl…’” Teddy recited dreamily.
    “I know, aren’t they thriving this year? So mysterious, plants…” Lila replied just as dreamily.
    “You know what I miss the most?” said Teddy with a sudden jolt of erotic nostalgia. “Being in a man’s house, a man you’re about to fuck for the first time. Looking at the things he has, his masculine things…God, that was exciting. Having him make you a drink, put on music that he’s chosen, a man you really want with all of yourself. Oscar had a hot plate, a small refrigerator, a mattress on the floor. He had an old record player and a portable radio…. Everything was spattered with paint. Such a cliché of an artist’s studio. I remember teasing him about it, accusing him of spattering everything with paint so women would swoon over him. God, Oscar…I felt like I was going to throw up if he didn’t touch me. He played the radio, but I was sick to my stomach with sexual excitement—remember that feeling?—so I don’t recall a single song, but I remember the sound of Billie Holliday’s voice, which I’d never liked much, but it didn’t matter. It was early fall and the windows were open, and we sat facing each other on his mattress and ate the spaghetti with canned sardines he’d made and drank warm vodka, passing the bottle back and forth between us. That was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life…. We got drunk, but we weren’t drunk…. It was the way he smelled, the look in hiseye, the way he asked me questions and paid attention to my answers, really looking at me. We knew we were going to devour each other the minute we’d wiped the sardine juice from our chins, and it made the meal taste so good and last forever…. I seriously thought I was going to explode with hot juice and electricity.” She stopped. “But why me? Of all the women who wanted him. He was married, famous; I was his