A Lost King: A Novel by Raymond Decapite

star by your name. And when you get a lot of stars he calls you in.”
    â€œWhat happens?”
    â€œWhat happens? He showers you with stars and gives you a kiss. What do you think happens? He promotes you. Why, I’ll smile myself into a store of my own in no time. And then I can laugh a little. Come and find me, Pa. I’ll be the one counting stars. Now there’s something else. This Herman Bauer must be well over sixty years old. You’d think he was a wreck.”
    â€œYou mean I’d know it.”
    â€œI wish you’d go over and see him. What a picture of health. He put his hand on me like a clamp. What strength. And why not? He eats the best of everything. Every night he takes home a pound of the choice cuts of meat. It’s not allowed but everybody looks the other way.”
    â€œEverybody steals and so nobody’s a thief.”
    â€œHerman told me he planned to work until he was eighty years old and then he’ll play for twenty years.”
    â€œAt what? Living?”
    â€œI was looking at the picture on his badge. I couldn’t believe it was the same man. I looked at Herman and at the picture and at Herman. What a change since he started work in that store. From a lamb to a lion. I couldn’t believe it was the same man.”
    â€œWell?”
    â€œIt wasn’t the same man, Pa. The picture on the badge was a picture of his brother who died two years ago. They worked together. Herman lost his own badge and he’s wearing his brother’s until he gets a new one. Guess what? I told him to smile when they take his picture.”
    â€œI think I’ve had enough of you for a while.”
    â€œMr. Whipple was right. I’ve been on the wing since I left him. I think I’ll fly over and tell Peggy the good news.”
    Peggy was waiting for me on the porch step. She smiled and the light in her eyes whispered an invitation to be sweet and then cruel and then sweeter still in the night. An excitement gripped me as though I heard the sudden pounding music of a parade. I started to talk about the silver of moon and stars beyond the smoke. She interrupted to talk about my new job.
    â€œI heard about it,” she said. “It sounds very nice.”
    â€œDoesn’t it? He’s putting me under this course of training. It won’t be long now. He says he’ll have me off the streets in no time.”
    â€œIt’s a job with a future.”
    â€œI’ll end up as the manager of one of those Big Deal stores.”
    â€œI don’t see why not.”
    â€œNeither do I. I really don’t. They may even send me to open a store in Mexico or South America. Come with me, Peggy. I’ll be wearing a white uniform and a white hat like a chef. I’ll tell everybody I’m going somewhere to cook for a king.”
    â€œYou’ll look cute, Paul.”
    â€œSay my name again, Peggy.”
    â€œDon’t you hear it enough?”
    â€œNot like that. And I never even hear it at home. I wonder if my father forgot it. I’ll remind him.”
    â€œPaul then. Paul, Paul.”
    For a long moment we were watching each other in the night. A light went on behind us in the kitchen. I touched her hand and we stood up. We strolled out of the alley and around the corner to Lincoln Park. It was deserted. Wind was stealing softly through the leaves of maple and sycamore. Holding my breath, I leaned over to kiss her hand. She turned to me and we kissed under the trees. Her clinging lips were moist on mine. Her body was ripe and sweet and willing. Her breasts were pressing all round my heart. I kissed her lips again and again. Suddenly they opened for me and that hot sweet rush of breath took my own away. I was melting inside with love and longing for her. In the same moment it flashed through my mind that this was a much better thing than playing the harmonica.
    We sat on a park bench near the playground and swimming pool. We looked