Chapter 11 serious talk

Bert was thankful that Vera's car was parked there and there were no other cars around.He turned into the driveway and pulled up next to the pumpkin pie he'd dropped there last night.The pie stayed where it was, the aluminum pan turned upside down, and the pumpkin puree spread out on the floor.It's the first day after Christmas. He had visited his wife and children on Christmas Day.Vera had warned him before that.She told him the truth.She said he had to leave by six because her friends and their children were coming over for dinner. They sat in the living room, opening Burt's gift with great ceremony.They only opened his gift box, and the others, wrapped in colored paper, were piled up under the tree to be opened after six o'clock.

He watched the children unwrap their presents, and waited for Vera to untie the ribbon from her gift box.He watched her tear off the wrapping paper, open the box, and take out the cashmere sweater . "It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you, Bert." "Try it on," his daughter said. "Put it on," his son said. Bert looked at his son, grateful for his support. She actually tried it.Vera went into the bedroom and came out wearing it. "It's beautiful," she said. "You look good in that," Bert said, feeling something go out of his chest.

He opened the gift that was given to him.From Vera was a gift certificate to Sondheim's men's clothing store.The matching comb and brush are from daughter.A ballpoint pen from my son. Vera brought sodas and they talked for a while.But most of the time is looking at the Christmas tree.Then his daughter got up to set the table in the dining room and his son went to his room .But Bert liked where he was.He liked to be in front of the fire, drink in hand, his house, his home.Vera went to the kitchen. From time to time his daughter came into the restaurant with something.Burt looked at her.He watched her fold the linen napkin and put it in the wine glass.He watched her place a thin vase in the center of the table.He watched her carefully insert a flower into a vase.

A small log with sawdust and gum was burning in the fireplace.There were five extras in the hearthside box.He got up from the sofa and stuffed them all into the fireplace.He watched them all burn.Then he finished his soda and walked towards the courtyard gate.On the way, he saw pies lined up on the sideboard.He stacked them on his arm, six in total, one for each of her ten betrayals. In the driveway, he dropped a piece of pie as he opened the car door in the dark. The front door has been locked forever since his key broke in the lock that night.He walked around to the back, and there was a wreath hanging on the courtyard door.He tapped lightly on the glass.Vera was in her bathrobe.She looked at him from inside, frowning.She opened the door a little.

Burt said, "I want to apologize to you about last night. I want to apologize to the kids too. said Vera, "They're not here." " She was standing in the passage and he was standing by a philodendron in the yard.He removed a thread from his sleeve. She said, "I've had enough. You tried to set the house down." "I don't." "You are, and everyone here has seen it." He said, "Can I come in and talk?" She tucked in the bathrobe at the collar, then turned and walked inside. She said, "I'm going somewhere in an hour."

He looked around and saw the light bulbs on the tree flickering on and off.At one end of the sofa is a pile of colorful tissue paper and bright boxes.A large plate of turkey carcasses sat in the middle of the dining room table, with the skin still on top of the parsley on the bottom, looking like a hideous bird's nest.A hill of ashes filled the fireplace.There were also some empty Coke cans.A trail of smoke ran up the brick wall of the fireplace and stopped only at the mantel, the wood of which was blackened by smoke. He turned back into the kitchen. He said, "When did your friend leave last night?"

She said, "If you want to start a fight, you can go now." He pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table, facing the large ashtray.He closed his eyes and opened them again.He drew the curtain aside and looked into the back yard.He saw a bicycle without a front wheel standing upside down.He saw weeds growing along the redwood fence.She poured water into the saucepan. "You remember Thanksgiving?" she said. "I said then that this would be the last holiday you'll ruin. Ten o'clock at night is not turkey but bacon and eggs." "I know," he said. "I said sorry."

"Just saying sorry is not enough." The gas stove pilot went out again.She was at the stove, trying to light the gas burner with the pot on it. "Don't burn yourself," he said. "Don't set yourself on fire." He imagined that her bathrobe was on fire, and he jumped up from the table, pushed her to the floor, rolled her into the living room, and covered her with his body.Perhaps he should run into the bedroom first to get a sheet? "Vera?" She looks at him. "Have you anything to drink here? I need some this morning." "There's some vodka in the fridge."

"When did you start storing vodka in the fridge?" "Don't ask." "Okay," he said, "I don't ask." He took out his vodka and poured some into a coffee mug he found on the counter. She said, "You're going to drink like this, in this coffee cup?" She said, "God, Bert. What the hell are you trying to talk about? I told you I was going out. I have a flute lesson at one o'clock .” "Are you still taking flute lessons?" "I just said it. What's the matter? Tell me what's going on in your head, I'm going to get ready."

"I wanted to say I'm sorry." She said, "You said it." He said, "If you have juice, I'd like to add some to the vodka." She opened the refrigerator door and moved the contents around. "There's cranberry apple cider," she said. "Okay," he said. "I'm going to the bathroom," she said. He drank cranberry apple juice and vodka from a glass.He lit a cigarette and threw the match into the big ashtray that always stood on the table.He studied the cigarette butts inside.Some were Vera's cards, some were not.Some are even lavender.He stood up and dumped the contents of the ashtray under the sink.

This ashtray is not actually an ashtray.It was a large stone dish they had bought from a bearded potter in a mall in Santa Clara.He rinsed it with water and wiped it dry.He put it back on the table.Then he put out his cigarette in it.The water was just boiling on the stove when the telephone rang. He heard her open the bathroom door and call to him across the living room. "Pick it up! I'm going to take a shower." The kitchen phone sits in a corner on the counter, behind the grill pan.He removed the baking tray and picked up the microphone. "Is Charlie there?" said the voice. "No," Burt said. "Very well," said the voice. Just as he was about to make coffee, the phone rang again. "Charlie?" "Not here," Burt said. This time he didn't put the microphone back. Vera returned to the kitchen in a sweater and jeans, brushing her hair. He scooped instant coffee into a mug of boiling water, then drizzled some vodka into his own.He came to the table with the cup.She picked up the receiver and listened.She said "what's going on, who's calling?" "No one," he said. "Who smokes colored cigarettes?" "I smoke." "I didn't know you smoked that." "Well, I smoke." She sat across from him drinking coffee.They smoke and use this ashtray. He had a lot to say, sad words, comforting words, things like that. "I smoke three packs a day," Vera said. "I mean, if you really want to know what's going on here." "My God," Burt said. Vera nodded. "I didn't come here to hear that," he said. "Then what did you come to hear? You wanted to hear the house burned down?" "Vera," he said. "It's Christmas. That's why I'm here." "Yesterday was Christmas," she said. "Christmas has come and gone," she said. "I never want to see another one." "What about me?" he said. "Do you think I'm looking forward to the holidays?" The phone rang again.Bert picked up the phone. "Anyone looking for Charlie?" he said. "what?" "Charlie," Burt said. Vera took the microphone.She turned her back to him as she spoke.She turned around and said, "I'm going to the bedroom to take this call. Can you wait until I pick up the phone in there and then hang it up? I can hear it, so you hang up as soon as I speak." He took the phone.She leaves the kitchen.He put the microphone to his ear and listened.He couldn't hear anything.Then he heard the sound of a man clearing his throat.He heard Vera pick up another microphone.She yelled, "Okay, Bert! I've got it, Bert!" He put the microphone down and stood looking at it.He opened the knife and fork drawer and rummaged through it.He opened another drawer.He looked into the pool.He went to the restaurant to find the meat cleaver.He ran it under hot water until all the grease was washed off.He wiped the blade on his sleeve.He went to the phone, folded the cord in half, and sawed it through without much trouble.He checked the break, then pushed the phone into the corner behind the grill. she walks in.She said, "The phone is disconnected. Did you touch the phone?" She looked at the phone and picked it up from the counter. "Son of a bitch!" she screamed.She screamed, "Get out, go where you should be!" She shook the microphone at him. "There's nothing more to say! I'm going to get a restraining order, and that's what I'm going to get." When she slams the microphone on the table, it dings. "If you don't leave now I'm going to go next door and call the police." He picked up the ashtray.He gripped the edge of the ashtray.He held it like a man about to throw a discus. "Come on," she said. "That's our ashtray." He left through the courtyard gate.He felt like he had proven something, but wasn't quite sure.He hoped he had made something clear.That is, there must be a serious conversation between them as soon as possible.Some things have to be talked about, some important things need to be discussed.They will talk again.Maybe after the holidays are over and everything returns to normal.For example, he'd tell her that that damned ashtray was just a damned ashtray. He skirted the pumpkin pie in the driveway and got into his car.He started the car and put it in reverse.It wasn't until he put down the ashtray that it became easier for him to move. ① Xilin taro, a climbing plant. ②Restraining order is a kind of restraining order from the court.It is often used in situations of domestic violence, sexual assault, etc., to restrict one party from approaching the other.