Free The Grievers by Marc Schuster Page B

meant a deeper tan and a sharper suit. For Frank, growing older meant that he was still, in every way, our social better.
    “Jesus, guys,” Frank said, apparently in reference to Billy. “I still can’t believe it. What do you think happened?”
    What do I think happened? I wanted to scream. You can’t be serious! People like you happened, Frank. Day in, day out, the butt of all your jokes. The poor guy couldn’t take it anymore. The only miracle is that it didn’t happen sooner.
    “I keep thinking about how much fun we used to have,” Frank said. “All those songs? Billy Chin is not my lover . God, I can’t even begin.”
    “I know what you mean,” Neil said as I held my tongue.
    “And the time he found the kittens in bio lab?”
    “That’s right,” Ennis said. “You boys were in my class together.”
    “I already told you that,” I said. “Remember? On the phone?”
    “We used to laugh so much,” Frank said as if I weren’t in the room. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
    “ I’m the one who found the kittens,” I said, inexplicably intent on setting the record straight. “That was me .”
    “But it was Billy’s cat,” Frank said. “Right?”
    “It was our cat,” I said. “Billy was my lab partner.”
    “Time does have a tendency to make a blur of things,” Ennis said. “For better or for worse.”
    “Are you kidding?” I asked, looking to Neil for even a modicum of support. “I remember like it was yesterday. You asked me what I was doing, and I said I was cutting open the cat’s scrotal sack. Then you told the class to come and watch, and when I cut it open, the kittens popped out.”
    “That’s right!” Frank shouted. “They popped out and Ennis asked if your scrotum was full of kittens.”
    “Something like that,” I said, suddenly wishing I’d left well enough alone. “Billy tried to warn me.”
    “Fun times,” Frank said wistfully. “But like they say, you can’t live in the past, right?”
    Screw you, Frank , I thought as Ennis went to the minibar and asked the bastard if he wanted his regular drink. I can live anywhere I want—including the past.
    Frank’s job, Ennis explained, was to help me and Neil with the letter. And, of course, with planning Billy’s memorial service. There were, after all, a lot of details to consider—what to serve, how big a crowd to invite, whether or not to involve the press. In short, Frank was there to make sure we got the most bang for the Academy’s buck.
    “I think we can handle it on our own,” I said.
    “No worries, gentlemen,” Ennis insisted. “Think of Frank as part of the team. He was doing some consulting for us a while back when I figured out that it was cheaper to hire him full time. Publicity and marketing, mainly. The man’s a wizard when it comes to finding the right words.”
    “What can I say?” Frank said, taking the drink from Ennis. “Working for the Academy is my mitzvah . Know what I mean, Schwartz?”
    “This letter,” Neil said before I could answer. “It’s what? An invitation to the memorial service?”
    “More or less,” Ennis explained. “You can leave the details to Frank. All we really need is for you and Schwartz to sign off on it.”
    “It really isn’t a big deal,” Frank said. “We’ll mention Billy’s passing and how much the Academy meant to him. We’ll talk about the new cafeteria, the new gym, the new swimming pool. Drop a few hints about how much money it all cost. With any luck, we’ll get some checks in the mail and a few bodies in the door on the day of the service. The real trick is to keep things light and not dwell too much on the negative aspects of the situation.”
    Frank stirred his drink with his finger.
    “Keep things light?” I said. “Billy killed himself.”
    “That’s one story,” Ennis said. “But it’s not the only one.”
    “You’re saying he didn’t?”
    “I’m saying there’s a difference between the forest and the