Page 71 of Nuts

“Thank you.”

He took a drink of beer, set the bottle to the side, and then readjusted it. After checking its placement, he moved it again, and then scooped up another forkful of potatoes.

“Olive oil?”

I blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”

“Olive oil? On the potatoes?”

“Oh.” I smiled. “Yes. And basil.”

He nodded. “They’re good.”

“Thank you.”

His eyes darted around the room as he ate, never focusing on one thing for longer than a nanosecond.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Me?” He chuckled as he looked up. “Good as gold.”

His eyes dropped to his plate. While he poked at a small piece of chicken with his fork, the sound of a vehicle in the driveway caught my attention.

Oddly, he seemed to not even notice.

I stood and peered through the window. A white van was parked in the center of the driveway. “Someone just pulled in the driveway.”

“I’ll be damned,” he said.

He sauntered to the door and opened it.

A man stood on the porch with a large thin package. Half as tall as he was, and the same length as the porch, it was roughly six inches thick.

“Percy L. Welsh?” he asked.

“The one and only,” Percy said.

“Sign here.”

He handed Percy something. After signing it, he exchanged it for the package.

“Have a nice night,” the man said.

“Thanks.”

Percy carried it inside and leaned it against the couch. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

I looked at the package, and then at him. “What is it?”

“Hard saying. I’ve ordered a lot of shit in the last few weeks, and none of it has shown up yet.”

I wondered how many three foot by six foot objects he was expecting.

My curiosity got the best of me. “Why don’t you open it?”

“Maybe later.”

He walked to the table and sat down.