The Second Coming

these?”
    There were at least fifty rocking chairs, damp from the fog, none occupied.
    After supper he sat in a rocker and watched a cloud rise from the valley floor. To the left, where the valley narrowed, the cloud seemed to boom and echo against the sides of the gorge.
    Suddenly he jumped up, remembering something he meant to ask Jack Curl, even though Jack had left hours ago. Instead, he called Vance.
    â€œVance, I just thought of something.”
    â€œWhat’s that, buddy?”
    â€œIt just occurred to me that Leslie moved all my stuff here before she found out I was sick.”
    â€œAhmmm.” Vance cleared his throat. “Well, we all knew something was wrong. You were sick. It was only a matter of diagnosis. As a matter of fact, I was me only one who didn’t think you were crazy. As for what you got, we going to lick that mother, right? How’re you feeling?”
    â€œFine. But she moved me out before I came back. What did she have in mind?”
    â€œLet me tell you something, Will.”
    â€œAll right.”
    â€œLeslie is much woman.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œShe is some kind of woman, a fine Christian woman.”
    â€œRight. But—”
    â€œYou know what she’s going to do with St. Mark’s?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWell, she’s transferring the convalescents to the new community Marion had planned over on Sourwood Mountain—as soon as we can get it built. And we’ll use the present St. Mark’s as a hospital with a new wing for radiation patients complete with a new beta cyclotron. I’m sure you’d rather live in the Peabody community. There’s no reason for you to have to live in a hospital.”
    â€œThe love-and-faith community.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œI see. Where is the money for all this coming from?”
    Vance coughed. “I thought you and Leslie and Slocum had worked that out. Christ, you’re a lawyer.”
    â€œYou’re talking about the Peabody Trust?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThere is no Peabody Trust. I am Marion’s sole beneficiary.”
    â€œI know, but Leslie had given me to understand that you wanted to carry out Marion’s wishes in this—let alone considerations of your own health.”
    â€œWhat about my health?”
    He could feel the shrug through the telephone. “You’re going to be following a strict regime from here on out—and you’re going to be fine! But let’s face it. We don’t know a damn thing about Hausmann’s Syndrome except how to maintain a patient.”
    â€œAre you talking about maintaining me or committing me?”
    â€œHa ha. As long as your pH doesn’t get over seven point four, you’re right as rain. In fact—”
    â€œYes?”
    â€œWe were wondering if you might not run the Peabody community, since you’re going to be out there anyway.”
    â€œWe?”
    â€œTalk to Leslie. She’s another Marion.”
    â€œI see.”
    He went up to his room and turned on the stereo. Leslie had even popped in a tape. It was Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder, which used to be one of his favorites.
    Earlier Jack Curl had introduced him to Warren East, formerly with Texas Instruments, who was also a music lover and had in his suite a digital sound system. “You two guys got it made,” said Jack, reaching deep in his jump-suit pockets. “You can either swap tapes or get together. Warren’s got everything that Victor Herbert ever composed.” Again the handshake steering him against Warren East.
    He looked at Warren East. Warren East did not look at him.
    Leslie had put a book next to his favorite chair. It was the Bible. He picked it up. It opened to a bookmark. He read: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” Leslie had made a note in the margin: And what lovely hills!
    Overhead in the attic the Wabash Cannonball rambled along with a rustle and a roar.
    Closing the Bible, he got up fast, causing the gyroscope in his head to twist. He went by arcs down to the porch and sat in a John Kennedy rocker. It was damp. The porch was deserted. The cloud had come out of the valley. Everything beyond the banister rail was whited out. Through a window he caught sight of half of a giant TV screen in the recreation room. Lawrence Welk, still holding his baton, was dancing a waltz with a pretty young blonde.
    Presently Kojak came