Chapter 2 continued

    I pushed him back. “Apologize to the lady.”
    The skater slugged my shoulder. “You apologize to her. You knocked her down, dude.”
    Rob, who heard the commotion, got up from his seat on the rim of the fountain, and before I could stop him, punched the skater in the stomach.
    The skater lifted Rob and threw him to the ground.
    “Hey!” I said as I lunged at the skater. We scuffled, but before either of us could hurt the other, the cop who separated the singer and the drunk
pulled us apart.”
    The officer held the skater by the arm. “I saw the whole thing, lady. I’ll run this kid in if you want to press charges.”
    “No, I’m okay.”
    The cop warned the three teens and they streaked away.
    I turned to her. “I owe you an apology. I am Paul Genet, the writer featured in the literary supplement.”
    “I’m the one who should apologize. I knew who you were, Paul. I’m Maria Perez.”
    “Maria Perez? Ben’s friend at the university?”
    At that moment, Michael and Ben Sachs approached us. “Well, looks like you finally met Maria, pal.”
    “Yeah, no thanks to you, Ben.”
    “I know better than to introduce you to a beautiful woman.”
    Michael added, “Amen.”
    Ben introduced Maria to Michael. “Maria Perez is president of an import-export business, and teaches part-time at the university. Maria, Michael Chen is Paul’s friend. They attended Catholic prep school in San Francisco. Michael is a Jesuit and directs an ecumenical conference center in New Orleans. The two of you should have a lot in common.”
    Maria shook Michael’s hand. “That’s Ben’s way of saying you and I are both Catholic, Father Chen.”
    “Please, call me Michael.”
    I turned to Maria. “I wish I’d known who you were before I sounded off.”
    Maria smiled. “I tried to get you to introduce yourself, Paul.”
    “What did he say, Maria?” Ben asked.
    “He was just putting me on.”
    Michael said, “Paul would like to put the whole world on,”
    Ben persisted. “Maria, what did he say?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Maria!”
    She sighed. “He said he wanted to tell Final Story.”
    Ben rolled his eyes. “You’ll need more than that old pipe dream to keep your career going after Helen Johnson’s attack in the literary supplement yesterday, pal.”
    Michael asked, “What attack?”
    I said, “Ben’s new book, Power Fiction, was published Friday, and one critic used it as an opportunity to take a cheap shot at my novel.”
    Ben said, “You Are God is yesterday's news, pal. Time to tell a new Power Fiction.”
    I ignored Ben’s barb. “Maria, can you join us for lunch?”
    “I have a class to teach in a few minutes.”
    “I hope you’re coming with Ben to see me get the Medal of Freedom at the White House tomorrow.”
    “I’ll be in Puerto Rico on business.”
    “Then you have to come to our discussion group on Monday night. I’m going to read from my latest novel.”
    “Maybe.”
    Ben said, “Maybe means no, Paul.”
    Before Maria could respond, Sara arrived with Martha, the friend she was visiting in Greenwich Village. When Karen saw her mother, she shouted, “Mommy! Daddy and Rob got in a fight.”
    Sara raised her eyebrows. “You’ve never been in a fight in your life.”
    “It was nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
    Ben said, “Maria, this is Sara Genet, Paul’s spouse.” He emphasized spouse.
    Sara extended her hand, “So you’re Maria Perez, the mystery woman Ben’s been hiding from us.”
    Maria smiled. “Sorry to rush off, but I have a class to teach and I’m late.”
    Sara said, “We’ll have to get together.”
    I watched Maria walk toward the university. Sara noticed and gave me a look.
    Ben said, “Maria and I are going to the Mardi Gras this year, Sara. You and Paul should join us.”
    Sara shook her head.
    Michael said, “That reminds me, Paul, I’ve been meaning to ask you to attend an ecumenical conference I’m sponsoring in New Orleans the weekend before Mardi Gras.”
    Sara said, “Paul can go if you pick up the tab, Michael.”
    I put my arms around Michael and Ben and announced, “We're off to lunch.”
    Rob said, “Let me come with you guys.”
    “You have to go back to school,” Sara said.
    “I have to have lunch before I go back. Please, Dad.”
    “Ben and I have to talk business, Rob. It’s adult stuff. You’d be bored.”
    “No, I wouldn’t. Anyway, I am an adult in the Jewish religion, aren’t I, Ben?”
    “How old are you, Rob?”
    “Thirteen.”
    “Let the young man have lunch with us, Paul.”
    “Okay, Rob, but then you’re going back to school.”
   Rob put his hand up for a high five.
    Karen said, “I wanna come, too, Daddy.”
    Sara said, “Young lady, you’re going to have lunch with Aunt Martha and me, and then we’re going shopping.”
    Rob corrected his mother. “She’s not our aunt.”
    Ben said, “See you at the White House tomorrow, Sara.”
“I hope I can make it. The Pentagon called this morning. They rescheduled the book contract negotiation for tomorrow morning.”
    I said, “What does that mean?”
    “We may not finish in time.”
    “Your husband is receiving the Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States and it’s not important enough for you to be there?
    “Put off the negotiation.”
    “I can’t. We’re down to the wire on this contract.”
    “This is a family thing, Sara. You can recess your meeting for a couple of hours.”
    “You know I can’t break off in the middle of a negotiation.” Sara turned to leave with Karen and Martha in tow.
    Ben slapped me on the back. “Let’s eat, pal. First shot of rye is on me. Bottoms up. Like we used to. Michael, too.”
    I said, “Michael doesn’t drink, but if you make mine a double, you’re on.”
    “Dad, can I…”
    “Absolutely not.”

Chapter 3