Page 42 of Rhymes with Metaphor
In the kitchen afterwards, Reg poured glasses of fizzy lemonade for everyone.
“I can pay for the gnome,” said Juliet.
“No need,” said Reg.“My father’s got six more in the shed.”
“I haven’t heard Joel laugh since...It’s been years,” said Juliet.She looked sad.“You’re so good to him, Reg.”
Reg, for once, didn’t know what to say, so he laughed, nervously.
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Four days before Martin, Juliet, and Joel were due to fly back to Canada, while they were all getting changed for dinner, Reg heard a knock at his bedroom door, and two seconds later, Martin let himself in and threw himself onto Reg’s bed.
“Do come in,” said Reg.“Make yourself at home.”
“Look,” said Martin, “how about letting Joel stay on here when Juliet and I fly back to Canada?”
For a moment, Reg was paranoid Martin had sussed out the Joel Situation and was trying to trick him into confessing.“I’m not sure...”
“It’s just that I haven’t managed to make much headway with Juliet, and if I could have her to myself for the rest of the summer, I could...”
“Shag her?”
“Don’t be crude, Reg.Juliet’s more likely to accept you hosting him if you and I both present the idea to her.I know it’s longer than I said he’d be here, but it’s a big house, you’d hardly notice him, and you two seem to be getting on.”
“No one’s asked him if he wants to stay,” said Reg.“Or have you or Juliet done that?”
“No,” said Martin.“IfIask him to stay, he’ll know why.He’s not stupid.He knows he’s a third wheel where Juliet and I are concerned.Would be better if you asked him.”
Reg sighed.
“Please, Reg.I’ll owe you one.I’ll owe you a million.”
Reg feigned reluctance.“All right.”He finished tying his tie.“How do I look?”
“Like a pop-eyed dandy,” said Martin, then added quickly, “But fine otherwise.”
Reg found Joel waiting on the drive, wearing the lilac silk shirt he’d bought him.
Reg approached him and made his offer.“You can convalesce here until you’ve returned to form.Would you like to stay, even though it’ll be just me keeping you company?”
“Yes,” said Joel.
“Good.”Reg felt elated.“I’ll be here for the duration, in any case.We can fly back together in August.I’ll have my travel agent change your ticket.”
“Reg?”said Joel, with so much intelligence in his eyes that Reg felt wary.“Did Martin put you up to this?”
Reg shifted uncomfortably.“He suggested it, but if I didn’t want you to stay, I wouldn’t have asked.”
“Why do you want me to stay?”
Joel had been treated as an inconvenience for so long he apparently couldn’t fathom anyone wanting his company.The truth was that Reg didn’t want to spend the rest of the summer without Joel, but he could hardly say so without sounding weird.Or having to come to terms with it.
“It would help me write my poetry,” said Reg.
“How does me being here help?”
“If I knew that, I could bottle whatever it is and keep it on a shelf to drink whenever I’m blocked,” said Reg.“All I know is that when you’re in my vicinity, I’m inspired to write poetry, which is good, because I have a thesis to finish.Benefiting from the phenomenon does not require me to understand it.”
