Page 62 of Rhymes with Metaphor
“Put them in with the rest of the wash,” said Reg, nodding at the machine.
Joel did.Then he hopped up on the washer and looked at Reg.“What do we do now?”
“You’ve never had the chance to enjoy life, have you?Why don’t I help you do that?”
“How?”
“Come with me.”Reg took Joel’s hand, pulled him off the washer, and led him along the corridor to the library on the main floor.“What do you like to read?”
“I don’t read for fun,” said Joel.“When I was at school, I didn’t have time.”
“Now you do.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“Try these.”Reg went along the shelves and pulled out a first edition of Robert Aickman’sCold Hand in Mine,Samuel R.Delany’sAye, and Gomorrah: And Other Stories, and a volume of Shakespeare’s sonnets.“If you don’t like them, don’t feel obliged to finish them.”
They spent the afternoon on the terrace, reading.Joel read disconcertingly quickly, probably a side effect of school deadlines.His reactions to the books were mixed.
“What do you think of Aickman?”said Reg.
“It’s like watching a foreign movie with no dubbing or subtitles,” said Joel.“Something’s happening, but I don’t understand what it is.”
“How does it make you feel?”
“Weird.”
“Do you want to try another of his?”
“No, thanks.”
They spent the evening in Reg’s bed, reading.
Joel’s reaction to “Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones” in the Delany collection was more positive.
“The hero’s totally alone,” said Joel.“He had one friend who was willing to die for him, and he just threw him away.”
“He couldn’t afford to trust anyone, in his line of work.”
There was a long silence.Reg glanced over to see Joel looking at him soberly.“I’d do anything for you, Reg.I’d give you a kidney, if you needed one.”
“Steady on.I’ve already got two.”
“I mean it.I’d do anything for you.”
“Would you?”
“Yes.”
“Switch off the light on your side?”
Joel did.In the darkness, he said, “I’m serious.Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I want you to be happy.”
“I don’t know how,” said Joel.
“Then let me teach you.”
