Nobody's Fool

diminishing her need. What she hoped was that the pendulum of their affair was swinging back again, that their being good for a while would have the salutary effect of rekindling both their passions. She felt such tenderness for Sully as he lay before her now, asleep, that she indulged for a moment the idea of accepting his proposal of marriage, contemplating what their life together would be like. That, however, was an excellent way to spoil a good mood, something Ruth adamantly refused to do. Instead she let the towel fall to the floor, carefully drew back the sheet and began to stroke Sully, whose eyelids fluttered by way of response, though for a few seconds he continued to snore. When he finally opened the eyes that never entirely closed, even in sleep, he grinned at her. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you.”
    â€œYes, it’s me,” Ruth said. “And watch yourself. You see what I’ve got here, don’t you?”
    Sully closed his eyes again, inhaling deeply. “I just hope you don’t have any further plans for it. I’m sixty, remember. And in no shape for double-headers.”
    â€œToo bad,” Ruth said. “And here I was actually considering your proposal.”
    â€œWhich?”
    â€œYesterday’s. You asked me to marry you.”
    Sully thought about it. “No, I didn’t,” he said finally. “I asked you why we didn’t get married. I knew there was a good reason. I’d just forgotten what it was.”
    Ruth continued stroking. “That’s not how I remember the conversation.”
    â€œI guess if you insisted,” Sully said, wide awake now. “I would marry you. You’re one of the better-looking older women in Bath. Ow!”
    â€œTake that back.”
    â€œYou’re
not
one of the better-looking older women in Bath? Ow again.”
    â€œYou know what?” Ruth said. “I think you
like
pain.”
    â€œJust don’t lean on my bad knee,” he warned. “I’ve enjoyed about as much of that pain as I can stand.”
    â€œI didn’t hurt before, did I?” she said, recalling their lovemaking.
    â€œNo,” Sully assured her, feeling a little guilty about his own greatly reduced abilities as a lover. “It couldn’t have been much good for you.”
    â€œIt was grand,” she told him dreamily. “I like being on top.”
    Sully grinned at her. “You and every other woman.”
    Ruth ignored this. “I like being on the bottom, too.”
    â€œWell, I’m glad you’re flexible,” he told her. “But I think you’re going to be on top from now on.”
    She was tracing a line down the inside of his thigh with her fingernail, stopping just short of the swelling, as if she knew precisely where the pain began. “It’s gotten worse, hasn’t it?” she said. The sight of his knee had surprised her when he slipped out of his pants. He’d done this with his back to her so she couldn’t get a good look, but she’d seen enough.
    â€œIt’s just fluids, probably,” Sully told her. “I’ll go in to the VA one of these weeks and let the bastards drain it. I’ve got even bigger headaches right now, if you can believe it. You wouldn’t happen to have a spare two grand on you?”
    Ruth propped herself up on one elbow. “On me?”
    â€œI didn’t think so.” He explained to her about the truck, about the one Harold wanted him to buy, about the snowplow blade.
    â€œSounds perfect,” Ruth said. “Therefore, you won’t do it, right?”
    â€œI don’t see how I can,” Sully said. “Even if I could find somebody dumb enough to lend me that kind of money. I’m getting too old to owe people more than I can make in a month or two.”
    â€œWill you get mad if I remind you that you own property?”
    Sully shook his head. “Not if you don’t object to me reminding you that I don’t. At least not really.”
    â€œThen who does, Sully?” Ruth wanted to know. “If you don’t own your father’s property, who does?”
    â€œI have no idea,” Sully told her. “The town of Bath, probably. My father hadn’t paid his taxes in years, and I sure haven’t paid any. They keep telling me they’re going to sell it at auction. They may have already, for all I know.”
    â€œThey’d notify you first,