Where I'm Calling From

on a bummer,” Mary said.
    “What’ll you guys do in Alaska?” Carl said.
    “There’s nothing to do in Alaska,” Jack said. He put his feet under the coffee table. Then he moved them out under the light once more. “Who wants a new pair of shoes?” Jack said.
    “What’s that noise?” Helen said,
    They listened. Something scratched at the door.
    “It sounds like Cindy,” Carl said. “I’d better let her in.”
    “While you’re up, get me a Popsicle,” Helen said. She put her head back and laughed.
    “I’ll have another one too, honey,” Mary said. “What did I say? I mean Carl,” Mary said. “Excuse me. I thought I was talking to Jack.”
    “Popsicles all around,” Carl said. “You want a Popsicle, Jack?”
    “What?”
    “You want an orange Popsicle?”
    “An orange one,” Jack said.
    “Four Popsicles coming up,” Carl said.
    In a while he came back with the Popsicles and handed them around. He sat down and they heard the scratching again.
    “I knew I was forgetting something,” Carl said. He got up and opened the front door.
    “Good Christ,” he said, “if this isn’t something. I guess Cindy went out for dinner tonight. Hey, you guys, look at this.”
    The cat carried a mouse into the living room, stopped to look at them, then carried the mouse down the hall.
    “Did you see what I just saw?” Mary said. “Talk about a bummer.”
    Carl turned the hall light on. The cat carried the mouse out of the hall and into the bathroom.
    “She’s eating this mouse,” Carl said.
    “I don’t think I want her eating a mouse in my bathroom,” Helen said. “Make her get out of there. Some of the children’s things are in there.”
    “She’s not going to get out of here,” Carl said.
    “What about the mouse?” Mary said.
    “What the hell,” Carl said. “Cindy’s got to learn to hunt if we’re going to Alaska.”
    “Alaska?” Helen said. “What’s all this about Alaska?”
    “Don’t ask me,” Carl said. He stood near the bathroom door and watched the cat. “Mary and Jack said they’re going to Alaska. Cindy’s got to learn to hunt.”
    Mary put her chin in her hands and stared into the hall.
    “She’s eating the mouse,” Carl said.
    Helen finished the last of the corn chips. “I told him I didn’t want Cindy eating a mouse in the bathroom.
    Carl?” Helen said.
    “What?”
    “Make her get out of the bathroom, I said,” Helen said.
    “For Christ’s sake,” Carl said.
    “Look,” Mary said. “Ugh. The goddamn cat is coming in here,” Mary said.
    “What’s she doing?” Jack said.
    The cat dragged the mouse under the coffee table. She lay down under the table and licked the mouse.
    She held the mouse in her paws and licked slowly, from head to tail.
    “The cat’s high,” Carl said.
    “It gives you the shivers,” Mary said.
    “It’s just nature,” Carl said.
    “Look at her eyes.” Mary said. “Look at the way she looks at us. She’s high, all right.”
    Carl came over to the sofa and sat beside Mary. Mary inched toward Jack to give Carl room. She rested her hand on Jack’s knee. They watched the cat eat the mouse.
    “Don’t you ever feed that cat?” Mary said to Helen. Helen laughed.
    “You guys ready for another smoke?” Carl said.
    “We have to go,” Jack said.
    “What’s your hurry?” Carl said.
    “Stay a little longer,” Helen said. “You don’t have to go yet.”
    Jack stared at Mary, who was staring at Carl. Carl stared at something on the rug near his feet.
    Helen picked through the M&M’s in her hand.
    “I like the green ones best,” Helen said.
    “I have to work in the morning,” Jack said.
    “What a bummer he’s on,” Mary said. “You want to hear a bummer, folks? There’s a bummer.”
    “Are you coming?” Jack said.
    “Anybody want a glass of milk?” Carl said. “We’ve got some milk out there.”
    “I’m too full of cream soda,” Mary said.
    “There’s no more cream soda,” Carl said.
    Helen laughed. She closed her eyes and then opened them and then laughed again.
    “We have to go home,” Jack said. In a while he stood up and said, “Did we have coats? I don’t think we had coats.”
    “What? I don’t think we had coats,” Mary said. She stayed seated.
    “We’d better go,” Jack said.
    “They have to go,” Helen said.
    Jack put his hands under Mary’s shoulders and pulled her up.
    “Good-bye, you guys,” Mary said. She embraced Jack. “I’m so full I can hardly move,” Mary