Stranger in a Strange Land

better way of enriching the empty hours?"
                "Jubal, I appreciate the fact that you are dotty over my daughter; I think she's pretty nice myself. But you've been spending all your time either playing with Abby . . . or moping. That's not good."
                "How soon do we go on relief?"
                "That's beside the point. If you don't crank out stories, you get spiritually constipated. It's reached the point where Dorcas and Larry and I are biting our nails-and when you do yell 'Front!' we jitter with relief. Only it's always a false alarm."
                "If there's money in the bank to meet the bills, what are you worried about?"
                "What are you worried about, Boss?"
                Jubal considered it. Should he tell her? Any possible doubt as to the paternity of Abigail had been settled, in his mind, in her naming; Anne had wavered between "Abigail" and "Zenobia"-and had settled it by loading the infant with both names. Anne had never mentioned the meanings of those names; presumably she did not know that he knew them.
                Anne went on firmly, "You're not fooling anyone but yourself; Jubal. Dorcas and Larry and I all know that Mike can take care of himself . and you ought to know it. But because you've been so frenetic about it-"
                "'Frenetic!' Me?"
                "-Larry very quietly set up the stereo tank in his room and some one of us three had been catching the news, every broadcast. Not because we are worried, for we aren't-except about you. But when Mike gets into the news-and of course he does get into the news; he's still the Man from Mars-we know about it before those silly clippings ever reach you. I wish you would quit reading them."
                "How do you know anything about any clippings? I went to a lot of trouble to see that you didn't. I thought."
                "Boss," she said in a tired voice, "somebody has to dispose of the trash. Do you think Larry can't read?"
                "So. That confounded oubliette hasn't worked right since Duke left. Damn it, nothing has!"
                "All you have to do is to send word to Mike that you want Duke to come back-Duke will show up at once."
                "You know I can't do that." It graveled him that what she said was almost certainly true - . - and the thought was followed by a sudden and bitter suspicion. "Anne! Are you still here because Mike told you to stay?"
                She answered promptly, "I am here because I wish to be here."
                "Mmmm ... not sure that's a responsive answer."
                "Jubal, sometimes I wish you were small enough to spank. May I finish what I was saying?"
                "You have the floor." Would any of them be here? Would Maryam have married Stinky and gone off to Beirut if Mike had not approved it? The name "Fatima Michele" might be an acknowledgment of her adopted faith plus her husband's wish to compliment his closest friend-or it might be code almost as explicit as baby Abby's double name, one which stated that Mike was somewhat more than godfather to the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mahmoud. If so, did Stinky wear his antlers unaware? Or with serene pride as Joseph was alleged to have done? Uh . . . but it must be concluded with utter certainty that Stinky knew the minutes of his houri; water.brothershiP permitted not even diplomatic omission of any matter so important. If indeed it was important, which as a physician and agnostic Jubal doubted. But to them it would be- "You aren't listening."
                "Sorry. Woolgathering." -and stop it, you nasty old man ... reading meanings into names that mothers give their children indeed! Next thing you'll be taking up numerology - . . then astrology . . . then spiritualism-until your senility has progressed so far that all there is left is custodial treatment for a hulk too dim-witted to discorporate in dignity. Go to locked drawer nine in the clinic, code "Lethe"-and use at least two grains to be sure, although one is more than enough- "There's no need for you to read those clippings, because we know the public news about Mike before you do - . - and lien has given us a water promise to let us know any private news we need to know at once- and Mike of course knows this. But, Jubal, Mike can't be hurt. If you would only