Attach ments(94)

Dave pointed to Troy, who was trying not drip taco juice onto his faded Rush T-shirt. “Troy has been dragging your unconscious dwarf on an earth sled, just to keep you in the campaign. You’re a constant drain on his magic.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Troy said formally. “I’ve owed ’Smov a life debt since we battled side by side in the Free City of Greyhawk.”

“Troy, that was seven years ago,” Dave said, pained, “and that entire adventure was outside of continuity.”

“I wouldn’t expect a halfling like you to understand the nature of a life debt,” Troy said.

“Thank you, Troy,” Lincoln said, bowing his head.

“It’s an honor, brother.”

“I’m trying to run a campaign here,” Dave said. “This isn’t improv. It takes planning. I need to know who I have to work with.”

“Maybe Lincoln has had a good reason to stay close to home,” Christine said. She smiled at him, hopefully.

“We all have good reasons not to be here,” Larry said, frowning. “Do you think I don’t have anything more important to do?”

“I could be at the hospital, saving lives,” Teddy said flatly.

“I could be at my high school reunion  ,” Rick murmured.

“You guys aren’t helping,” Christine said. She looked back at Lincoln again, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

“Well,” he said, swallowing. “Actually, I do have news.” Christine clasped her hands. “I moved into an apartment.”

They all looked up.

“You moved out of your mom’s house?” Troy said.

“It’s about damn time,” Larry said.

“’Smov,” Troy said, leaning in for a sandalwood-thick hug, “I’m so proud of you.” Lincoln hugged him back.

Rick smiled.

“And I’m so proud of you,” Christine said. “That isn’t even the good news I was expecting.”

“I don’t know,” Dave said, rubbing his beard. “If I could go back to living rent-free, I would.”

“I never thought you’d do it, Lincoln,” Larry said. “I thought you were one of those guys.”

Lincoln winced.

“I never thought he’d move out of the dorms,” Dave said.

“Okay,” Lincoln said. “Enough.” He’d wanted them to be happy for him, but not this happy. Not this surprised. He hadn’t realized that everyone—even Troy, who lived in a studio apartment above an auto body shop—felt sorry for him. It was like getting congratulated for losing weight when you didn’t think anyone else had noticed that you needed to.

Christine was grinning at him across the table. Even the baby in the sling was smiling. Lincoln decided to smile, too.

“Are we going to play or not?” Teddy said. “My shift starts in six hours.”

“Now, we just have to find you a woman,” Troy said, thumping Lincoln on the back.

“Enough,” Lincoln said, “let’s play.”

“And with a crack of thunder, ” Dave said, “black clouds swept over the hills of Kara-Tur …”





From: Jennifer Scribner-Snyder

To: Beth Fremont

Sent: Mon, 03/13/2000 3:08 PM

Subject: This message was almost about Doritos.

But I don’t think I have it in me. I don’t have it in me to be trivial.

<<Beth to Jennifer>> Hush your mouth, what could you possibly mean?

<<Jennifer to Beth>> These days, I’m using up all my energy on matters of life and death.

Everything else feels like a waste of time. Last night, I watched 60 Minutes instead of Grease. I even listened to NPR this morning on the way to work.

<<Beth to Jennifer>> Wait, Grease was on? Damn.

What do you usually listen to on the way to work?

<<Jennifer to Beth>> Flame 98, bringing today’s country hits straight to the heart of the heartland.

I really like Kat and Mowzer in the morning. At least, I used to. Lately, I can’t stand listening to them —or any of the other morning shows. They’re all sound-and-fury, tale-told-by-an-idiot, signifying- nothing.

<<Beth to Jennifer>> That’s got to be the first time someone has almost quoted Shakespeare in reference to Kat and Mowzer.

<<Jennifer to Beth>> I feel like I don’t have time for anything trivial. Every night, when Mitch comes home, I drag him into excruciatingly deep conversations—usually about whether we should try to get pregnant again and what it means to be a parent and whether it really is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

<<Beth to Jennifer>> I’ve been thinking a lot about that last thing myself.