He walked round the table straightening knives and forks. He put a napkin over his arm. The head waiter at Delmonico’s was arranging the table for Graustark and the Blind King of Bohemia and Prince Henry the Navigator and ...
“Mother who d’you want to be Mary Queen of Scots or Lady Jane Grey?”
“But they both had their heads chopped off honey.... I dont want to have my head chopped off.” Mother had on her salmoncolored teagown. When she opened the folding doors a wilted smell of cologne and medicines seeped out of the bedroom, trailed after her long lacefringed sleeves. She had put a little too much powder on her face, but her hair, her lovely brown hair was done beautifully. They sat down opposite one another; she set a plate of soup in front of him, lifting it between two long blueveined hands.
He ate the soup that was watery and not hot enough. “Oh I forgot the croûtons, honey.”
“Muddy ... mother why arent you eating your soup?”
“I dont seem to like it much this evening. I couldn’t
think what to order tonight my head ached so. It doesn’t matter.”
“Would you rather be Cleopatra? She had a wonderful appetite and ate everything that was put before her like a good little girl.”
“Even pearls.... She put a pearl in a glass of vinegar and drank it down....” Her voice trembled. She stretched out her hand to him across the table; he patted her hand manfully and smiled. “Only you and me Jimmy boy.... Honey you’ll always love your mother wont you?”
“What’s the matter muddy dear?”