"Daaa daa deeee," she sings with the melody, "... when you're with
meeee... da da... the stars, and the moon... the da... da... da...
in June.. ."
They move around the living room until Eddie breaks down and
laughs. He is already taller than his mother by a good six inches, yet
she twirls him with ease.
"So," she whispers, "you like this girl?"
Eddie loses a step.
"It's all right," she says. "I'm happy for you."
They spin to the table, and Eddie s mother grabs Joe and pulls him
up.
"Now you two dance," she says.
"With him?"
"Ma!"
But she insists and they relent, and soon Joe and Eddie are laughing
and stumbling into each other. They join hands and move, swooping
up and down in exaggerated circles. Around and around the table they
go, to their mother's delight, as the clarinets lead the radio melody and
the Romanian cousins clap along and the final wisps of grilled steak
evaporate into the party air.
The Second Person Eddie Meets in
Heaven
EDDIE FELT HIS FEET TOUCH GROUND. THE sky was changing
again, from cobalt blue to charcoal gray, and Eddie was surrounded now
by fallen trees and blackened rubble. He grabbed his arms, shoulders,
thighs, and calves. He felt stronger than before, but when he tried to
touch his toes, he could no longer do so. The limberness was gone. No
more childish rubbery sensation. Every muscle he had was as tight as
piano wire.