0:07

I make while it's or and

0:09

on this selected shorts. How far

0:11

will you go to support your

0:14

loved ones? Would you attend a

0:16

thousand track meets? lie to them

0:18

about how good they were in

0:20

their school, play cats or consider

0:22

haunting them at the supermarket this

0:24

week? Stories about parental figures doing

0:26

the right thing from some unusual

0:28

perspectives. You're

0:34

listening to selected shorts where our

0:36

greatest actors transporter through the magic

0:38

of fiction one short story at

0:40

a time. There's.

0:45

A reason why families find their way

0:47

into fiction. So often. They. Offer

0:49

up everything a writer needs. plot,

0:52

character drama, surprise. We can explore

0:54

how love does not preclude mystification

0:56

or exasperate shun, and how we

0:58

can live with people day after

1:01

day and still have no real

1:03

idea what they're thinking or feeling.

1:06

We. Can look at the generational aspect

1:08

of family. Every one is someone's

1:10

child, parent, or grandparent. Or.

1:12

Was on this program to stories

1:15

that explore family from unusual perspectives.

1:17

In the first, the mother daughter

1:19

bond becomes a whole history of

1:22

women. In the second, we skip

1:24

a generation to explore the bond

1:26

between a grandparent and grandchild. In

1:29

real life, it's often true that family

1:32

can overstay. it's welcome, but that's less

1:34

true and fiction where we seem to

1:36

only want to hear more about characters

1:38

who are related to one another regardless

1:40

of their personalities. Some of the best

1:42

fiction ever written is about family. Maybe

1:45

it's because the reader knows there's going

1:47

to be conflict, or maybe it's because

1:49

there's an opportunity to get perspectives from

1:51

different generations. Or. Maybe it's

1:53

simply a relief that it's an imaginary

1:55

family and not yours. And I should

1:57

add that there's also a relief for

1:59

fee. The writer whose subject his family.

2:02

As. Long as that writer doesn't get dangerously

2:04

close to the hot stove of nonfiction,

2:06

he or she will still did Invited

2:09

to Thanksgiving. The. Protean

2:11

authors Eighty Smith is beyond

2:13

category, a term first used

2:15

to describe jazz legend Duke

2:17

Ellington. She's explored race

2:19

and culture and upbringing in such

2:21

ambitious works as White Teeth and

2:23

Sling Time. Or style

2:26

ranges from naturalism to magical

2:28

realism, but she's also interested

2:30

in generations. The story we're

2:32

featuring here participates in both

2:34

as the narrator conference. Are

2:36

formidable mother under unusual conditions.

2:39

Reader can nice a shawl is

2:41

a selected shorts regular and performance

2:43

artist whose other works include Go

2:45

Forth and Jack and. He or

2:47

she is with Grand Union. Grand.

2:56

Union. Having

2:59

screams. At my six year old to the

3:01

point that she threw herself down on her bed.

3:03

And wept I felt the need to

3:05

get out of the house and see

3:07

my mother. She. Was dead.

3:10

And. In heaven But for convenience sake

3:12

we met outside the chicken spot at

3:14

the top of land Brick Grove. It

3:17

was in the moment, the blackest

3:19

place I could think of. He

3:22

sat together on the steps of the

3:25

Golden Dragon. Man them and

3:27

Golden passed us by. Having inside for

3:29

their Stir Fry and Miss Swann.

3:32

Mother and I regarded each other. For

3:36

being dead sea looked pretty

3:38

fantastic. That.

3:40

Could not with her her. It

3:43

was merely one of a long line

3:45

of things that could not with her

3:47

Her. She. Wore her

3:50

dreads wrapped just right size

3:52

and impressive. Never

3:54

as she her darkness shown.

3:58

She looked the spit of queen. The

4:00

on the five hundred dollar bill. That.

4:03

Is not a coincidence she said

4:06

when I mentioned the resemblance in

4:08

this I have become many of

4:10

them are runes that is. I

4:12

have always been she's but now

4:15

it is revealed. Figures.

4:18

I said. And. See admonished

4:20

me for using an Americanism and asked

4:22

if I was still living in those

4:25

Douglas. Parents. I.

4:27

Had to confess I was. That.

4:30

Had come all this way across an

4:32

ocean just to converse with her spirit.

4:35

While. You're a Sunday now she said,

4:37

and I was glad to hear it,

4:39

having always suspected as much. Still,

4:43

I kissed my teeth. To.

4:45

Make clear that like

4:47

all warrior daughters, I

4:49

wanted more from my

4:51

warrior mother. Much more

4:54

and would never get enough. My.

4:57

Mother kissed her teeth and turn,

4:59

signifying that she understood. Together

5:03

we surveyed the seen. All

5:05

around us was carnival detritus,

5:07

red stripe cans and abandoned

5:10

yellow crusts of land party

5:12

and broken whistles. And

5:14

glittering press on sister jewelry

5:16

and. Filthy suthers and

5:18

friendly cards from the

5:20

police describing proper stop

5:23

and search. Procedure informing

5:25

us of. The limits

5:27

of their powers. Oh.

5:30

Carnival. While. We

5:32

damn in the oddest. some.

5:34

It's a wonderful a

5:36

sticky with joy. It's

5:38

sweet. Flypaper of Life.

5:42

But. Then might arise. The

5:44

police hurry us home. We

5:46

surveyed the devastated streets. We

5:48

think surly, we're not. Going

5:50

to put ourselves through all this

5:52

shit again next year. Nanny has

5:54

gone to Carnival every year since

5:56

nineteen. Seventy Two. Or

5:59

maybe only. I think that. The.

6:01

Borders between me and everybody else has

6:04

never been clear to me. Maybe.

6:07

All cycles must be respected.

6:11

The. Women in our family announced

6:13

my mother do not recognize

6:15

The women in our family.

6:18

Will that seemed cheap and thought a logical

6:20

to me. So I went inside to get

6:22

some chicken. There was

6:24

a Chinese place it emphasizes with

6:27

it's clientele and that day they

6:29

were offering inauthentic jerk rice and

6:31

p. And to plastic forks.

6:34

I watched the daughter of the

6:37

establishment size as the mother. Of

6:39

the establishment critiqued her

6:41

styrofoam box closing technique

6:43

in rested Cantonese. And.

6:46

I once knew a girl called her Miami

6:48

whose mother would never sit down to. Eat

6:51

She went straight from cooking cleaning,

6:53

And if anyone tried to get her to

6:55

the table, she said oh no, no, no,

6:58

no, I'm fine with my little plate here.

7:00

And then she'd clean up after everybody and

7:02

picket the plate like a bird. one by

7:04

every half hour or so till it was

7:06

stone cold. And a skin had grown

7:08

over it, at which point she scraped

7:10

whatever was left into the been and

7:12

wash up the little plate to. It.

7:15

Was her way of showing love and

7:17

it was so exotic to me. I

7:19

was in all of it. I

7:22

went to her funeral. Seven.

7:24

Hundred people stood up as one

7:27

to chant, see always sort of

7:29

others never of herself. But.

7:32

You can only really. Know the blood you're

7:34

swimming in? When.

7:37

I got back outside. My

7:39

mother had assumed the position

7:41

of an old obey How

7:43

woman legs wide apart, skirts

7:46

falling in between, toes splayed

7:48

like a duck. Still,

7:50

She looked. Fantastic. Many.

7:53

Have been the time Sudeten the

7:55

food straight off my place. Before

7:57

I'd even raised my plastic fork.

8:00

But. I could see why the Are A lox

8:03

once flocked to her. If

8:05

you're on the edge of extinction,

8:07

nothing. Less than nanny will. Do.

8:12

That. You can't sing a note I

8:14

said to my mother. I was finally

8:16

getting to the point. And the weird

8:18

thing is. My. Daughter things

8:21

with souls. Truly.

8:24

With. Soul. And

8:26

I suppose. I'm worried about

8:28

what it all means. Hear.

8:31

My mother and all of the other

8:33

obey her. Women in the neighborhood pause

8:36

to last long and loud. At

8:38

the way worries will sprout on a

8:40

wet, fertile ground yet rarely care to

8:42

flower and the kind of drought conditions

8:45

they themselves had known. Now

8:48

as you as Billie Holiday my

8:50

mother said with her eyes closed.

8:53

See. Would tell you. Know

8:56

one sings the word hunger like

8:58

I do. Or

9:00

the word loves. That's

9:03

not a defensive anything clarified

9:05

my mother, that's just a

9:07

to sift. Although

9:09

I'm not a bully fan myself. daughter.

9:11

As you know, Ruddy Gun.

9:14

Is my musical. Love them

9:16

now and forever. I

9:20

stood up. I

9:22

told her I loved her. I

9:24

wandered over to. The Grand Union

9:26

Canal. Which. May well

9:29

be that river of milk which

9:31

all the daughters of the world

9:33

are looking for whenever they go

9:35

to the hardware store for milk.

9:37

even though they know full well

9:39

there's no milk at the hardware

9:41

store. Hardware,

9:43

American isms everywhere.

9:47

But also love. And

9:50

recognition of history and

9:52

the inconceivably broad shadow

9:54

test by the Blue

9:56

Mountains, on top of

9:58

which. You'll find

10:01

my maroon grandfather never

10:03

dying undead, Totally.

10:06

Undead. Living. Eternally

10:08

among his chickens and dates

10:10

is parcels of contested. Land.

10:13

His dozens and dozens and dozens

10:15

of out the house children. Among.

10:19

Whom A few bold girls now

10:21

make their way down the shady

10:23

side of the mountain, following the

10:26

tread of my mother and her

10:28

mother. And her mother.

10:31

Moving. With the necessary speed.

10:34

Not. Always holding hands, Said.

10:45

Was Can is a shawl performing. Zadie

10:48

Smith's Grand Union and Neg Wallets are.

10:50

I love Smith's death insistence that

10:52

they should find nothing unusual in

10:55

this cross dimensional relationship. And

10:57

the truth is that in a way we

10:59

don't. If you've ever had a mother, you

11:01

probably understand maternal power. When Smith writes about

11:04

that river of milk which all the daughters

11:06

of the world are looking for, I think

11:08

she's speaking about the impression that can happen

11:10

early in life, the idea of the mother

11:13

a sustenance which later on becomes less of

11:15

an impression and more of a dream. And

11:18

so the dream like quality of the story

11:20

makes sense because by the time you're grown,

11:22

you and your mother or probably both different

11:25

people and behave differently with each other, both

11:27

during life and even after life and. For

11:29

one of you. And somewhere though

11:31

not in a hardware store, that

11:34

river exists. And we keep searching for it.

11:37

I suspect who ever came up with

11:39

the term extended family created it in

11:41

order to reflect the increasingly. Complicated

11:44

nature. Of family relationships.

11:46

And this is certainly true of the story that

11:48

follows. What? Feels like the world.

11:51

By. Richard Bausch. Whose deceptively

11:53

plane writing reveals a subtle

11:55

grasp of unspoken emotions and

11:58

deflected actions Houses. Many works

12:00

include rare and endangered species and

12:02

a collection of short pieces entitled.

12:05

The Stories of Pritchard Bausch. It's

12:08

classic Bausch. A family is cobbled together

12:10

when the death of a parent changes

12:12

the life of her father and daughter.

12:14

We see them navigating new ideas of

12:16

love, identity, and believe in themselves and

12:19

one another. To read

12:21

it, we got one of our long time

12:23

leading men, James Naughton and we don't have

12:25

him exclusively. He's a two time Tony Award

12:27

winner. Here he is with what feels like

12:30

the. World. By Richard Bucks. What?

12:46

Feels like the worried. Very.

12:53

Early in the morning too early

12:55

to use are trying to jump

12:57

rope out on the sidewalk below

13:00

his bedroom window. He

13:03

wakes to the sound of her

13:05

shoes on the concrete, breathless com

13:07

drops never more than three times

13:09

in succession, and fails again to

13:12

find the right rhythm, the proper

13:14

spring in her legs to achieve

13:16

the thing to be a girl

13:18

jumping rope. He

13:21

gets up and moved to the window

13:23

and parting the curtain only slightly peers

13:26

out as her. For.

13:29

Some reason he feels he must be

13:31

stealthy must not let her see him

13:33

gazing at her from this window. He

13:36

thinks of the heartless way children to use

13:39

the imperfect among them. And

13:41

then he closes the curtain. She

13:45

is his only granddaughter. The

13:48

unfortunate inheritor of his big

13:50

boned dreams, his tendency toward

13:53

bulk, And. She

13:55

is on a self induced program of

13:57

exercise and diving to lose weight. This

14:01

is in preparation for the last

14:03

meeting of the Pts during which

14:05

children from the fifth and sixth

14:07

grades will put on a gymnastics

14:09

demonstration. There. Will

14:11

be a vaulting horse and a

14:13

mini trampoline and everyone is to

14:15

participate. She

14:17

wants to be able to do at

14:20

least as well as the other children

14:22

in her class and so she has

14:24

been trying exercises to improve her coordination

14:26

and lose the weight that keeps her

14:28

routed to the ground. For.

14:31

The past two weeks who's been eating

14:34

only one meal a day usually lunch

14:36

since that's the meal seeds and school

14:38

and swallowing cans of juice another meal?

14:41

times? He's. Afraid

14:43

of anorexia but trusts her com

14:45

determination to get ready for the

14:47

event. There. Seems

14:49

no desperation. None of the classic

14:52

symptoms of the disease. Indeed,

14:55

this project, she said for herself,

14:57

seems quite sane to lose ten

14:59

pounds and to be able to

15:01

get over the vaulting horse. In

15:04

fact, she hopes that shall be able

15:06

to do a handstand on it and

15:08

curling her head and shoulders flip over

15:11

to stand upright on the other side.

15:14

This. She has told him his

15:16

the outside hope. And

15:19

in two weeks of very grown

15:21

up discipline and single minded effort,

15:23

that hope has mostly disappeared. She

15:27

still the only child and the fifth grade

15:29

who has not even been able to propel

15:31

herself over the horse. And

15:34

this is the day of the event. She

15:37

will have one last chance to practice

15:39

at school today, and so she's up

15:41

this early, out on the lawn, straining,

15:43

pushing herself, He

15:46

dresses quickly and head downstairs. The.

15:49

Ritual in the mornings is simplified by

15:51

the fact that neither of them is

15:53

eating breakfast. He

15:55

makes the orange juice, puts vitamins on a

15:57

saucer for them both. When.

16:00

That is out the living room window. He

16:02

sees that she is now doing somersaults in

16:04

the doing grass. She.

16:06

Does three of them while he watches. And

16:09

he isn't stealthy this time, but

16:11

stands in the window with what

16:13

he hopes is an approving, unworried

16:15

look on his face. After

16:19

a somersault, she pulls for

16:21

sweatshirt down, takes a deep

16:23

breath and begins again. the

16:25

arms coming down slowly. the

16:27

head ducking slowly under says

16:29

if she falls on her

16:31

back. Sits. Up and then

16:34

stands up. For

16:36

cheeks a ruddy with effort. The

16:38

moist us of the grass is on the sweatshirt and

16:41

in the ends of her hair. It

16:44

will rain this morning. There's.

16:46

Thunder beyond the trees at the end of the street.

16:50

He. Taps on the window just her smiling

16:52

for her to come in. She waves

16:54

at him, indicates that she wants him

16:56

to watch her. So she watches her.

17:00

He applauds when she's

17:02

finished three hard, slow

17:05

tumbles. She.

17:07

Claps her hands together as if to remove

17:09

dust from them, and comes trying to the

17:11

door. As she moves by him, he tells

17:14

her she's asking for a bad cold, letting

17:16

herself get wet so early in the morning.

17:19

It's his place to nag. Her

17:21

glance at him acknowledges this. I.

17:25

Can't get the rest of me to

17:27

follow my head. she says about the

17:29

somersaults. They.

17:32

Go into the kitchen and she sits down.

17:34

Pops of vitamin into her mouth and takes

17:36

a swallow. The orange juice. I

17:39

guess I'm not gonna make it over

17:41

that vaulting horse after all she says

17:43

suddenly. Sure, You will.

17:45

I don't care. She seems

17:47

to pout. This.

17:50

Is the first sign of true

17:52

discouragement she's shown. He's. Been

17:54

waiting for it. Brenda.

17:56

Honey. Sometimes.

17:58

people are good at these things.

18:01

I mean, I was never any good at it. I

18:04

bet you were, she says. I bet you're

18:06

just saying that to make me feel better. No,

18:09

he says, really?

18:12

He's been keeping to the diet

18:14

with her, though there have been

18:16

times during the day when he's cheated. He

18:19

no longer has a job and the days

18:21

are long. He's hungry all the time. He

18:25

pretends to her that he's still going on to

18:27

work in the mornings after he walks her to

18:29

school because he wants to

18:31

keep her sense of the daily balance

18:34

of things, of a predictable and orderly

18:36

routine intact. He

18:39

believes this is the best way to deal with grief,

18:43

simply to go on with things, to keep

18:45

them as much as possible as they've always

18:47

been. Being

18:50

out of work doesn't worry him, really. He has

18:52

enough money and savings to last a while. At

18:54

61, he's almost eligible

18:58

for Social Security and he gets monthly checks

19:00

from the girl's father, who

19:03

lives with another woman and

19:05

other children in Oregon. The

19:08

father has been very good about keeping up

19:11

the payments, though he never visits or calls.

19:15

Probably he thinks the money buys him

19:17

the privilege of remaining aloof now

19:20

that Brenda's mother is gone. Brenda's

19:24

mother used to say he was the

19:26

type of man who learned early that

19:28

there was nothing of substance anywhere in

19:30

his soul and

19:33

spent the rest of his life trying to hide

19:35

this fact from himself. No

19:38

one was more uptight, he would say, no

19:41

one more honorable and God help

19:43

you if you ever had to live with him. Brenda's

19:47

father was the subject of bitter sarcasm

19:50

and scorn, and yet, Perhaps

19:52

not so. Surprisingly, Brenda's mother would call him

19:55

in those months just after the divorce when

19:57

Brenda was still only a toddler. and she

19:59

would try to get the baby to say

20:01

things to him over the phone. And

20:05

she would sit there with Brenda on her lap.

20:08

And. Cry after shoot hung up.

20:12

I had a doughnut yesterday at

20:15

school. Brenda says no, That's.

20:17

Much supposed to Much. Head

20:20

Spaghetti two. And

20:23

three pieces of garlic bread and

20:25

pie and a big salad. What's.

20:29

One gonna. Well

20:32

and I didn't eat anything the

20:34

rest of the day. I

20:37

know Grandfather says see. They

20:41

sit quiet for a while. Sometimes.

20:44

They're shy with each other, more so lately.

20:47

There. Used to the absence of her

20:49

mother. by now it's been almost a

20:52

year, but. They. Still find

20:54

themselves missing a beat now and

20:56

then like a heart with a

20:58

valve almost closed. She.

21:00

Swallows the last to produce and gets

21:03

up and moves to the living room

21:05

to stand gazing out of the yards.

21:07

Big drops have begun to fall. It's

21:10

a storm with rising wind

21:12

and know very loud thunder.

21:15

Lightning branches across the sky and the

21:17

trees in the yard disappear and sheets

21:20

of rain. He

21:22

has come to her side and

21:24

he pretends and interest in the

21:26

details of the weather, remarking on

21:28

the heaviness of the rain, strength

21:30

of the wind, some storm he

21:32

says finally. I'm glad we're

21:34

not out in it. He

21:37

wishes he could tell what she's thinking. where

21:39

the pain is? He

21:42

wishes he could be certain of

21:44

the harmlessness of his every word.

21:46

Honey, he ventures. we could play

21:48

hooky today if you want to.

21:53

Do. You think I can do it she

21:55

says i know you can. She.

21:58

stares animal moment looks away out at

22:01

the storm. It's terrible out

22:03

there, isn't it? He says, look at

22:05

that lightning. You

22:07

don't think I can do it, she says. No,

22:10

I know you can, really. Well,

22:14

I probably can't. Even

22:17

if you can't. Lots of people,

22:19

lots of people never do anything like that.

22:23

I'm the only one who can't that I know.

22:27

Well, there's lots of people. The

22:29

whole thing is silly, Brenda. A year from now,

22:31

it won't mean anything at all, you see. She

22:35

says nothing. Is

22:38

there some pressure at school to

22:40

do it? No,

22:43

her tone is simple, matter of fact. And

22:46

she looks directly at him. You're

22:48

sure? She's

22:51

sure. And

22:53

of course, he realizes there is

22:55

pressure. There's the

22:57

pressure of being one among other children

22:59

and being the only one among them

23:02

who can't do a thing. Honey,

23:05

he says lamely, it's not that

23:08

important. When she

23:10

looks at him this time, he sees

23:12

something scarly, unchildlike in her expression, some

23:15

perplexity that she seems to pull down

23:17

into herself. It

23:20

is too important, she says. We're

23:25

hearing James Naughton's performance of Richard Bausch's

23:27

What Feels Like the World. I'm Meg

23:30

Wallitzer. Naughton will return with

23:32

the conclusion after a brief break. You're

23:34

listening to Selected Shorts recorded live

23:36

at Symphony Space in New York City

23:39

and at other venues nationwide. Welcome

24:00

back to Selected Shorts. I'm Meg Walitzer.

24:03

The stories on this show are about how family

24:05

members support, sustain, and confound

24:07

one another. Now

24:09

we return to James Naughton's reading of Richard

24:12

Bausch's What Feels Like the World. He

24:16

drives her to school. The

24:19

rain is still being blown along the street and

24:21

above the low roofs of the houses. By

24:24

the time they arrive, no more than five minutes from

24:26

the house, it's begun to let up. If

24:29

it's completely stopped after school, she says,

24:31

can we walk home? Of

24:34

course, he says, why wouldn't we? She

24:37

gives him a quick, wet kiss on the cheek. Bye,

24:40

Pops. He

24:42

knows she doesn't like it when he waits for

24:44

her to get inside, and still he hesitates. There's

24:48

always the apprehension that he'll look away or

24:50

drive off just as she thinks of something

24:52

she needs from him, or

24:54

that she'll wave to him and he won't see her. So

24:57

he sits here with the car engine

24:59

idling, and she walks quickly

25:01

up the sidewalk and into the building. In

25:05

a few seconds before the door swings shut, she

25:07

turns and gives him a wave, and

25:10

he waves back. The

25:13

door is closed now. Slowly

25:16

he lets the car glide forward, still

25:18

watching the door. Then

25:20

he's down the driveway and he heads back

25:23

to the house. It's

25:26

hard to decide what to do with his

25:28

time. Mostly

25:31

he stays in the house, watches television, reads

25:33

the newspapers. There

25:35

are household tasks, but he can't do anything

25:38

she might notice, since he's

25:40

supposed to be at work during these hours. Sometimes,

25:44

just to please himself, he drives over to the

25:46

bank and visits his old co-workers, though

25:50

there doesn't seem to be much to talk

25:52

about anymore, and he senses that he makes

25:54

them all uneasy. Today

25:57

he lies down on the sofa in the living room.

26:00

and rests a while. At

26:02

the windows the sun begins to show and he

26:05

thinks of driving into town, maybe

26:07

stopping somewhere to eat a light

26:09

breakfast. He

26:12

accuses himself with the thought and then gets

26:14

up and turns on the television. There

26:16

isn't anything of interest to watch, but

26:20

he watches anyway. The

26:22

sun is bright now out on the lawn and

26:24

the wind is the same, gusting and shaking the

26:26

window frames. On

26:29

television he sees feasts of incredible

26:31

sumptuousness, almost nauseating in

26:33

the impossible brightness and succulents of

26:35

the food. Advertisements

26:38

from cheese companies, dairy associations,

26:40

the makers of cookies and

26:42

pizza, the sellers of seafood

26:44

and steaks. He's

26:47

angry with himself for wanting to cheat on the

26:49

diet. He thinks of

26:51

Brenda at school, thinks

26:53

of crowds of children and

26:56

it comes to him more painfully than ever

26:58

that he

27:00

can't protect her. Not

27:03

any more than he could ever protect her mother.

27:07

He goes outside and walks up the drying sidewalk to

27:10

the end of the block. The

27:12

sun has already dried most of the morning's rain

27:15

and the wind is warm. In

27:18

the sky are great stormy matterhorns

27:20

of cumulus and wide patches of

27:22

the deepest blue. It's

27:24

a beautiful day and

27:26

he decides to walk over to the school.

27:30

Nothing in him voices this decision.

27:32

He just simply begins to walk.

27:35

He knows without having to think about it that

27:38

he can't allow her to see him. Yet

27:41

he feels compelled to take the risk that she

27:43

might. He feels a helpless

27:46

wish to watch over her and

27:50

beyond this he entertains the vague notion that

27:52

by seeing her in her world he

27:55

might be better able to be what she

27:57

needs in his. He

28:00

walks the four blocks to the school

28:02

and stands just beyond the playground in

28:05

a group of shading maples that whisper and

28:07

sigh in the wind. The

28:10

playground is empty. A

28:12

bell rings somewhere in the building, but no

28:14

one comes out. It's

28:17

not even 11 o'clock in the morning. He's

28:20

too late for morning recess and too early for

28:22

the afternoon one. He feels as

28:24

though she watches him

28:27

make his way back down the street. His

28:31

neighbor, Mrs. Eberhard, comes over

28:33

for lunch. It's a thing they planned and he's

28:35

forgotten about it. She

28:38

knocks on the door and when he opens it

28:40

she smiles and said, I knew you'd forget. She's

28:43

on a diet too and is carrying what they'll eat.

28:46

Two apples, some celery and carrots.

28:50

It's all in a clear plastic bag and she holds

28:52

it toward him in the palms of her hands as

28:54

though it were piping hot from an oven. Jane

28:58

Eberhard is relatively new in the

29:01

neighborhood. When Brenda's

29:03

mother died, Jane offered to cook meals and

29:05

regulate things and for a while she was

29:07

like another member of the family. She's

29:10

moved into their lives now and sometimes

29:13

they all forget the circumstances under

29:16

which the friendship began. She's

29:20

a solid, large-hipped woman of 58 with

29:22

clear, young, blue eyes and gray hair.

29:26

The thing she's good at is sympathy.

29:28

There's something oddly unspecific about it, as

29:30

if it were a beam she simply

29:33

radiates. You

29:35

look so worried, she says now. I think

29:37

you should be proud of her. They're

29:40

sitting in the living room with the plastic bag on

29:42

the coffee table before them. She's

29:44

eating a stick of celery. I've never

29:47

seen a child that age put such demands

29:49

on herself, she says. I

29:52

don't know what it's going to do to her if she

29:54

doesn't make it over the damn thing, he says. It'll

29:57

disappoint her, but she'll get over it. I

30:01

don't guess you can make it tonight. Can't,

30:03

she says. Really? I promised

30:05

my mother I'd take her to the ocean this weekend. I have

30:07

to go pick her up tonight. I

30:10

walked over to the school a little while ago.

30:13

Are you sure you're not putting more into this than

30:15

she is? She

30:18

was up at dawn this morning. Jane, didn't you

30:20

see her? Mrs. Everhart

30:22

nods. I saw her. Well,

30:25

he says, she

30:27

pats his wrist. I'm sure it won't matter

30:29

a month from now. No,

30:32

he says, that's not true. I mean, I wish

30:34

I could believe you, but I've never seen a

30:36

kid work so hard. Maybe

30:38

she'll make it. Yes,

30:41

he says, maybe. Mrs.

30:44

Everhart sits considering for a minute tapping the

30:46

stick of celery against her lower lip. You

30:50

think it's tied to the accident in

30:52

some way, don't you? I

30:55

don't know, he says, standing, moving

30:57

across the room. I can't

31:00

get through somehow. It's

31:03

been all this time and I still don't know. She

31:06

keeps it all to herself, all of it. All

31:09

I can do is try to be there when she wants me

31:11

to be there. I don't

31:13

know. I don't even

31:15

know what to say to her. You're

31:17

doing all you can do then. Her

31:21

mother and I, he begins, we

31:25

never got along

31:27

that well. You can't worry

31:29

about that now. Mrs.

31:33

Everhart's advice is always the kind of

31:35

practical good advice that's

31:37

impossible to follow. He

31:40

comes back to the sofa and tries to eat one

31:42

of the apples, but his appetite is gone. This

31:45

seems ironic to him. I'm not

31:47

hungry now, he says. Sometimes

31:51

worry is the best thing for a diet. I've

31:55

always worried. It never did me any good,

31:57

but I worried. tell

32:00

you, Mrs. Eberhart says, it's

32:02

a terrific misfortune to have to be

32:04

raised by a human being. He

32:08

doesn't feel like listening to this sort of thing, so

32:10

he asks her about her husband, who

32:13

is with the government in some capacity

32:15

that requires him to be both secretive

32:17

and mobile. He's

32:19

always off to one country or another, and this

32:22

week he's in India. It's

32:24

strange to think of someone traveling as

32:26

much as he does without getting hurt

32:28

or killed. Mrs.

32:31

Eberhart says she's so used to his being gone

32:34

all the time that next year when he retires it'll

32:36

take a while to get used to having him under foot. In

32:40

fact, he's not a very

32:42

likable man. There's

32:45

something murky and unpleasant

32:47

about him. The one time Mrs.

32:49

Eberhart brought him to

32:51

visit, he sat in

32:53

the living room and seemed to regard

32:55

everyone with detached curiosity as

32:58

if they were all specimens on a dish under

33:00

a lens. Brenda's

33:02

grandfather had invited some old friends over from

33:04

the bank. Everyone was being

33:06

careful not to let on that he wasn't still

33:08

going there every day. It was

33:11

an awkward two hours, and Mrs. Eberhart's

33:13

husband sat with his hands folded over

33:15

his rounded belly, his

33:18

eyebrows arched. When

33:20

he spoke, his voice was cultivated

33:22

and quiet, full

33:24

of self-satisfaction and haughtiness.

33:27

They'd been speaking in low tones

33:29

about how Jane Eberhart had moved in

33:32

to take over after the accident, and

33:35

Mrs. Eberhart's husband cleared his throat, held

33:37

his fist gingerly to his mouth, pursed

33:40

his lips and began a soft

33:42

spoken lecture like monologue about his

33:44

belief that there's no such thing

33:47

as an accident. His

33:50

considered opinion was that there are subconscious

33:52

explanations for everything.

33:56

Apparently he thought he was entertaining everyone.

34:00

He sat with one leg crossed over

34:02

the other and held forth in his

34:04

calm, magisterial voice, explaining

34:06

how everything can be reduced to a

34:08

matter of conscious or subconscious will. Finally,

34:12

his wife asked him to let it

34:14

alone please drop the

34:16

subject. For example, he

34:19

went on, there are

34:21

many collisions on the highway in which

34:23

no one appears to have applied breaks

34:25

before impact, as if

34:27

something in the victims had decided on

34:29

death. And

34:32

of course, there are the well-known cases

34:34

of people stopped on railroad tracks with

34:36

plenty of time to get off who simply

34:39

do not move. Perhaps

34:41

it isn't being frozen by the perception of one's

34:43

fate, but a matter of

34:46

decision-making of will. The

34:48

victim decides on his fate. I

34:52

think we've had enough now, Jane

34:54

Eberhart said. The

34:57

inappropriateness of what he had said seemed

34:59

to dawn on him then. He

35:02

shifted in his seat and grew very quiet,

35:04

and when the evening was over, he took

35:06

Brenda's grandfather by the elbow and apologized. But

35:10

even in the apology, there seemed to

35:12

be a species of condescension, as

35:15

if he were really only sorry for the

35:17

harsh truth of what he had wrongly deemed

35:19

it necessary to say. When

35:22

everyone was gone, Brenda

35:24

said, I don't like

35:27

that man. Is

35:29

it because of what he said about accidents,

35:31

her grandfather asked? She shook her

35:33

head. I just don't like

35:35

him. It's

35:38

not true what he said, honey.

35:41

An accident is an accident. She

35:43

said, I know. But

35:46

she would not return his gaze. Your

35:52

mother wasn't very

35:55

happy here, but she didn't want to leave

35:57

us. Not even, you know.

36:00

Without without know you or

36:02

anything. He

36:05

wears perfume she said still not

36:07

looking at him. It's cologne. Yes,

36:09

he does too much of it.

36:12

It smells she said. In

36:16

the afternoon he walks over to the school.

36:20

The sidewalks are crowded with children and they

36:22

all seem to recognize him. They.

36:25

Carry their books and papers in, their hair is

36:27

when blown and they run and wrestle with each

36:29

other in the yards. The

36:31

sun's high and very hot and most

36:34

of the clouds of broken apart and

36:36

scattered. There still

36:38

is fairly steady when, but it's gentler

36:40

now and there's no called the Senate.

36:44

Brenda. Is standing at the first crossing

36:46

street down the hill from school. She's.

36:49

Surrounded by other children, yet seem separate

36:52

from them somehow. She

36:54

sees him and smiles. He

36:57

waits on his side of the intersection

36:59

for her to cross, and when she

37:01

reaches hims careful not to show any

37:03

of this affection. Knowing it embarrasses. I

37:07

was your name he begins. Mr.

37:10

Clayton. Tried. To

37:12

make me quit today. He

37:15

waits. I

37:17

didn't get over she says. I

37:20

didn't even get close. What?

37:23

Did Mister Clinton say. Oh,

37:26

you know that it's not important, that

37:28

kind of stuff. Well.

37:31

He says jumpy, is it so

37:33

important. I

37:35

don't know. She kicks had something in the

37:38

grass along the edge of the sidewalk, a

37:40

piece of a pencil someone else had discarded.

37:42

She bends, picks it up, examines it's and

37:45

drops. This is

37:47

exactly the kind of slow day behavior

37:49

that used to make him angry and

37:51

impatient with her mother. They.

37:54

Walk on. She's.

37:57

concentrating on the sidewalk before them and

37:59

they walk almost in step. I'm

38:02

sure I could never do a thing like going

38:04

over a vaulting horse when I was in school,

38:07

he says. Did

38:09

they have that when you were in school? He

38:12

smiles. It was

38:14

hard getting everything into the caves, but

38:18

sure we had that sort of thing. We were

38:20

an advanced tribe. We

38:23

had fire too. Okay,

38:26

she's saying, okay, okay.

38:30

Actually, with me it was pull-ups. We

38:33

all had to do pull-ups and I just couldn't do

38:35

them. I don't think I ever accomplished a single one

38:37

in my life. I can't

38:39

do pull-ups, she said. They're

38:42

hard to do. Everybody

38:44

in the fifth and sixth grades can get over

38:47

the vaulting horse, she said. How

38:50

much she reminds him of her mother.

38:54

There's a certain mobility in her face, a

38:56

certain willingness to assert herself in the

38:58

smallest gesture of the eyes and mouth. She

39:01

has her mother's green eyes and

39:04

now he tells her this. He's

39:06

decided to try this. He's

39:09

standing quite shy in her doorway, feeling

39:11

like an intruder. She's

39:13

sitting on the floor, one leg outstretched, the

39:15

other bent at the knee. She tries to

39:17

touch her forehead to the knee of the

39:20

outstretched leg, straining, and

39:22

he looks away. You know,

39:24

he says, they're just

39:27

the same color, just

39:29

that shade of green. What

39:33

was my grandmother like? She asks,

39:35

still straining. She

39:37

was a lot like your mother.

39:39

I'm never gonna get married. Of

39:43

course you will. I mean, if

39:46

you want to, you will. How

39:48

come you didn't ever get married again? Oh,

39:52

he says, I had

39:54

a daughter to raise, you know. She

39:57

changes position, tries to touch her forehead to the

39:59

other knee. I'll

40:01

tell you that mother of yours was enough

40:04

to keep me busy. I mean, I called

40:06

her double trouble, you know, because I

40:08

always said she was double the trouble his son would have

40:10

been. There was a regular

40:12

joke around here. Mom

40:16

was skinny and pretty. He

40:19

says nothing. Am

40:22

I double trouble? No,

40:24

he says. Is

40:27

that really why you never got married again? Well,

40:32

no one would have me either.

40:36

Mom said you like it. Like what? Being

40:39

a widow. Yes. Well,

40:42

he says, did you? All

40:44

these questions, he says. Do

40:47

you think about Grandmom a lot? Yes,

40:50

he says. That's

40:52

you know, we remember our loved ones. She

40:57

stands and tries to touch her toes without bending

40:59

her legs. Sometimes

41:02

I dream that mom's yelling at you

41:04

and you're yelling back. Oh,

41:07

well, he says, hearing himself

41:09

say it, feeling

41:11

himself back down from something.

41:15

That's just a dream. You

41:17

know, it's nothing to think about at all. People

41:20

who love each other don't agree sometimes. It's

41:22

nothing. And I'll bet

41:24

these exercises are going to do the trick. I'm

41:28

very smart, aren't I? He

41:32

feels sick very deep down. You're

41:35

the smartest little girl I ever saw. You

41:38

don't have to come tonight if you don't want to. She

41:40

says you can drop me off if you want and come

41:43

get me when it's over. Why

41:45

would I do that? She

41:47

mutters. I would. Then

41:52

why don't we skip it? A

41:55

lot of good that would do, she says. For

42:00

dinner they drink apple juice and he gets

42:02

through to eat two slices of try tossed.

42:05

The. Apple juice spurs energy. She drinks

42:07

it slowly and then goes into

42:09

the room to lie down to

42:11

conserve her strength. She uses

42:14

the word conserve and he tells her

42:16

you so proud of her vocabulary. She

42:19

acts. Well.

42:21

She rests. he does if you household chores

42:24

trying really just to keep busy. The.

42:26

Weeks newspapers have been piling up on

42:28

the coffee table and living room. The

42:31

carpets need to be vacuumed, the whole

42:33

house needs dusting. None of it takes

42:35

long enough. None

42:37

of it quite distraction. For

42:40

a while he sits in the living room with

42:43

a newspaper in his lap and pretends to be

42:45

reading it. She's restless to. Comes

42:47

back to the kitchen, drinks another glass of

42:49

apple juice and then join him in the

42:52

living room. turns the television on, The

42:55

news is full of traffic deaths

42:57

and she turns to one of

42:59

local stations that shows reruns of

43:01

old Situation comedies. They. Both

43:03

watch match. Without. Really

43:05

taking it in. She.

43:08

Bites the cuticles of her nails and her

43:10

gaze wanders around the room. Comes

43:13

to him that he could speak to

43:15

her now, could make his way through

43:18

to. Her grief.

43:21

And yet he knows that he will do

43:23

no such thing. He

43:25

can't even bring himself to speak at all. Their.

43:29

Regions of his own sorrow that he

43:31

simply lacks the strength to explore. And

43:33

so he. Sits. There

43:36

watching her. Watching.

43:38

Her restlessness. And

43:40

at last it's time to go over to the school.

43:44

Train Eberhard makes a surprise visit

43:46

bearing a handsome good Luck cards

43:49

is fashioned herself. She kisses Brenda,

43:51

behaves exactly as if Brenda were

43:53

going off to some dangerous far

43:55

away place. She.

43:57

Stands in the street and waves at them as they

44:00

pull the way and Brenda leans out the window to

44:02

shot. could buy. A. Moment

44:04

later sitting back and staring out at

44:06

the dusky light she says she feels

44:08

a surge of energy. And.

44:10

He tells her she's way ahead of

44:12

all the others in her class, knowing

44:14

words like conserve and search. For

44:17

always known them she says. Beginning

44:21

to rain again clouds of enrolling in

44:23

from the east and the when shakes

44:25

the trees. Lightning flickers on the other

44:27

side of the clouds. Everything.

44:30

Seems threatening. relentless.

44:33

He slows down. There. Are

44:35

many cars parked along both sides of the

44:37

street? Quite. A

44:40

turnout he manages. Don't.

44:43

Worry, she tells him brightly. I still

44:45

feel my search of. The

44:48

begins to rain as they get out of the car.

44:50

He holds a sport coat like a caped to shield

44:52

her from. By.

44:55

The time they get to the open

44:57

front doors it's raining very hard. People

44:59

are crowding into the cafeteria which has

45:01

been transformed into an arena for the

45:03

event. Chairs set up on for size

45:05

of the room as though for a

45:07

wrestling match. In the

45:09

center at the end of the long bright red

45:11

mat. Or the vaulting worse.

45:13

And the mini trampoline? The.

45:16

Physical Education teacher Mr. Clinton

45:18

stands at the entrance. is

45:20

tall, thin, scraggly looking a

45:23

boy really no older than

45:25

twenty five. There's. Mr.

45:27

Clayton premises. I see

45:29

him low. Mr. Clayton.

45:32

Was. To plate miss quite distracted and

45:34

he nods quickly, leans toward Brenda and

45:37

points to a doorway across the hall

45:39

gone ahead he says and he nods

45:41

at her grandfather. This.

45:44

Is it practices. Her.

45:47

Grandfather squeezes her shoulder means to find

45:49

the best thing to tell her, but

45:51

in the next confusing minute, she's lost

45:54

her. She's. Gone among the

45:56

others and he's being swept along with the

45:58

crowd entering the cafeteria. He

46:01

makes his way along the walls. Behind the

46:03

chairs were a few other people have already

46:05

gathered understanding. At.

46:07

The other end of the room, a man

46:10

speaking from a lectern about old business new

46:12

officers for the fall. Brenda's.

46:15

Grandfather recognize have of the people in

46:17

the crowd. a woman looks at him

46:19

and nods of a familiar face he

46:21

can't quite place. She.

46:24

Turns to look at the speaker. She's.

46:26

Holding a baby and the baby staring at him

46:29

over her shoulder. A

46:31

moment later, she steps back to stand

46:33

beside him, hefting the baby higher and

46:35

padding it's bottom. What

46:38

a crowd she says he

46:40

nods. It's not usually this

46:42

craft. Again, he nods.

46:45

The. Baby protests and he touches the

46:47

miniature fingers of one hand. Just.

46:51

A baby he sex. And

46:54

everything still to go through. How

46:58

is some friend that she

47:00

says. Oh he

47:03

says I'm fine. And

47:05

he remembers that she was Brenda's kindergarten

47:07

teacher. She's. Heavier than

47:09

she was then and her hair is darker.

47:12

She. Has a baby. No. I

47:15

don't remember all my students she says

47:17

shifting the baby to the have shown

47:19

I've been home now for eighteen months

47:21

and I'll tell you it's being at

47:23

the P T A meeting that makes

47:25

me see how much I don't miss

47:27

teaching. He

47:29

smiles at her and nonce again. He's

47:33

beginning to feel awkward. The.

47:36

Man is speaking from the lectern for meeting

47:38

is going on and this woman's voice is

47:40

carrying beyond them though she says everything out

47:43

of the side of her mouth. I

47:46

remember the way you used to walk brenda the

47:48

school every morning. Do you still walker to school?

47:52

Yes, that's so nice.

47:56

He. Pretends an interest in what the speakers

47:58

say. I always. Was

48:00

so nice to see how you to

48:02

get along together. I mean, these days

48:04

it's really rare for the kids even

48:06

to know who their grandparents are, much

48:08

less have one to walk them to

48:10

school in the morning. I

48:12

always thought it was really something. She.

48:16

Seems to watch the lectern for

48:18

a moment and then speaks to

48:20

him again, this time in the

48:22

near whispered i hope you will

48:24

take this the wrong way or

48:26

anything. But I

48:28

just wanted to say how sorry I was

48:30

about your daughter. I saw

48:32

it in the paper when Brenda's mother. Was.

48:36

You know I I. I just wanted to tell

48:38

you how sorry. When.

48:40

I saw it in the paper. I thought

48:42

of Brenda and how you used to walk

48:44

or to school. I

48:47

lost my sister in an automobile accident,

48:49

so I know how you feel. It's

48:52

a terrible thing, terrible. An

48:54

awful thing to have happen. I.

48:57

Mean as much to sudden and final and

48:59

everything. I'm afraid

49:01

know every time I get into a car. She.

49:05

Pauses. pets the babies back.

49:08

Then. Take something off it's ear. Anyway, I

49:10

just wanted to say how sorry I

49:12

was. You're very

49:15

kind. Seem.

49:17

So senseless she murmurs something

49:20

so senseless about when it

49:22

happens. My. Sister

49:25

was stuff. If

49:31

she come along one second later

49:33

sooner, nothing would have happened. So

49:35

since. Two people

49:38

driving, two different cars coming along and two

49:40

roads on a sunny afternoon and they come

49:42

together like that. I mean, what are the

49:44

chances? really? He

49:47

doesn't say anything. How's

49:50

Brenda handling it? She's.

49:53

Strong he says. I.

49:55

would have said that woman tells sometimes

49:58

i think the children take these things

50:00

better than the adults do. I

50:02

remember when she first came to my class, she

50:05

told everyone in the first minute that she'd come

50:07

from Oregon, that she was

50:09

living with their grandfather and her mother was

50:11

divorced. She was

50:13

a baby when the divorce, when

50:15

she moved here from Oregon. This

50:18

seems to surprise the woman. Really,

50:21

she says, lo, I got

50:24

the impression it was recent for her. I

50:26

mean, you know, that she had just come

50:28

from it all. It

50:30

was all very vivid for her. I remember that. She

50:33

was a baby, he says. It's

50:35

almost as if he were insisting on it. He's

50:38

heard this in his voice and

50:40

he wonders if she has to. Well,

50:44

she says, I always had a special place

50:46

for Brenda. I always thought

50:48

she was very special, a very special

50:51

little girl. The

50:53

PTA meeting is over and Mr. Clayton is now

50:55

standing at the far door with the first of

50:57

his charges. They're

50:59

all lining up outside the door and Mr. Clayton

51:02

walks to the microphone to announce the

51:04

program. The demonstration will commence with the

51:07

mini trampoline and the vaulting horse, a

51:10

performance by the fifth and sixth graders.

51:13

There will also be a breakdancing demonstration

51:15

by the fourth grade class. Here

51:19

we go, the woman says. My

51:22

nephew's afraid of the mini tramp. They

51:25

shouldn't make them do these things. Brenda's

51:27

grandfather says with a passion that surprises

51:29

him. He draws in

51:31

a breath. It's too hard. He says

51:33

loudly. He can't believe himself.

51:35

They shouldn't have to go through a thing like this. I

51:39

don't know. She says vaguely, turning from him

51:41

a little. He has

51:43

drawn attention to himself. Others

51:46

in the crowd are regarding him now. One,

51:48

a man with a sparse red beard and

51:51

wild red hair looking at him with

51:53

something he takes for agreement. It's

51:56

too much, he says still

51:58

louder. Too much. to

52:00

put on a child is just so much a child can

52:02

take. Someone asks

52:05

gently for quiet. The

52:09

first child is running down the long mat to

52:11

the mini trampoline. It's

52:14

a girl and she times her

52:16

jump perfectly, soars over the horse.

52:20

One by one other children follow. Mr.

52:23

Clayton and another man stand on either side of

52:26

the horse and help those who go over on

52:28

their hands. Two

52:30

or three go over without any assistance

52:33

at all with remarkable effortlessness and grace.

52:37

Well, Brenda's kindergarten teacher says,

52:39

there's my nephew. The

52:42

boy hits the mini tramp and does a perfect

52:44

forward flip in the air over the horse, landing

52:47

upright and then rolling forward

52:49

in a somersault. Yay, Jack,

52:51

she cheers, no sweat. Yay,

52:53

Jackie boy. The

52:56

boy trots to the other end of the room and

52:58

stands with the others. The crowd

53:00

is applauding. The

53:03

last of the sixth graders goes over the horse

53:05

and Mr. Clayton says into the microphone that the

53:07

fifth graders are next. It's

53:10

Brenda who's next. She

53:14

stands in the doorway, her cheeks flushed, her legs

53:17

looking too heavy in the tights. She's

53:21

rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet,

53:23

getting ready. It

53:25

grows quiet. Her

53:28

arms swing slightly back and forth. And

53:31

now just for a moment, she's looking at

53:33

the crowd, her

53:35

face hiding whatever she's feeling. It's

53:39

as if she were merely curious as to who

53:41

was out there. But

53:44

he knows. She's

53:48

looking for him. Searching

53:51

the crowd for her grandfather

53:53

who stands on his

53:55

toes. Unseen against

53:57

the far wall. Stance

54:01

their thinking is art might break.

54:06

Lifting his hand, To.

54:09

Wave. James

54:34

Norton performed What Feels Like the World.

54:37

By Richard Bausch. This

54:39

quietly devastating work show a mastery of

54:41

one of the hardest things to do

54:43

and six and blend the inner world

54:45

of one character with the outer world

54:47

of the other. The. Characters

54:50

are working toward trust. But neither is

54:52

sure what the other wants or needs or

54:54

what each of them wants or needs. This

54:57

story is beautiful and painful. I love

54:59

how bout telescopes in on the big

55:01

event in the grand daughter's life. It

55:03

reminded me of all the times in

55:05

my own early life when something small

55:07

felt so important and there was no

55:09

one who could say to me, this

55:11

really isn't going to matter in the

55:13

long run, but for children, they're only

55:15

seems to be a short when I

55:17

think anyone listening to the story can

55:19

recognize the power of a child wanting

55:21

something so badly and also the power

55:23

of mostly unspoken in what has been

55:26

lost. the shared. Desire of these two people

55:28

brought together for tragedy and love. I was

55:30

holding my breath of the very end of

55:32

the story and maybe you were to. i

55:36

think these two works by contemporary masters

55:38

successfully move our idea of the extended

55:41

family beyond the realm of census taking

55:43

or headcounts in smith's these family extends

55:45

beyond the grave and becomes part of

55:47

a larger cycle in bouches were shown

55:49

a glimpse of a family unit that

55:52

is still in the making it's essential

55:54

save may or may not hinge on

55:56

the outcome of the small drama were

55:58

asked to witness I'm Meg

56:01

Wolitzer. Thanks for joining me for Selected

56:03

Shorts. Selected

56:13

Shorts is produced by Jennifer Brennan,

56:16

Jenny Falcon and Sarah Montague. Our

56:18

team includes Matthew Love, Drew

56:21

Richardson, Mary Shimkin, Vivienne Woodward

56:23

and Magdalene Roblesky. The

56:26

readings are recorded by Miles B. Smith. Our

56:29

mix engineer for this episode was Mie White.

56:32

Our theme music is David Peterson's That's

56:34

the Deal, performed by the Dierdorf

56:36

Peterson Group. Selected

56:38

Shorts is supported by the Dungannon Foundation.

56:41

This program is also made possible with

56:43

public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts,

56:46

with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and

56:48

the New York State Legislature. Selected

56:51

Shorts is produced and distributed by Symphony

56:53

Space. The

56:55

Dierdorf Peterson Group is produced by

56:58

the Dierdorf Peterson Group.