Show FICTION doncov ION coom cov SEAL OF APPROVAL by II if HOSE he had been away avay a long time but armands appeared appo ored m much u c h th tho 0 same to him even to the apartment across tho the street which he nearly bypassed by passed in his bitterness i A A looked much tho the A same even after seven years tho the long lunch counter on the right extended the full length ot of the room the polished fittings of the soda I 1 fountain afountain gleaming in dual rows as they reflected themselves in the tha mirror behind the counter to the left were the red leather booths halt half way vay back was a wide doorway leading to tho the dining rooms and danco floor beyond I 1 looked for old peter the cleanup clean up man who wa was a the favorite of the high school kids who frequented the place dut but he was not in sight A new soda jerk polished the spotless surface before mi me and the girl who took my order was also a newcomer A chocolate malted I 1 aad said and strolled rolled tt to tho the jukebox in the far corner comer wai while lle the little mixer hurn hummed med I 1 punched tho the numbers at random and fed the music box a couple of coins i back on my stool I 1 saw that ar mand was sitting at the little alcove table overlooking the entire room 7 7 tr 1111 V V if ja T 1 al A W fa rn 01 w 1 I ali vr A 3 A i van 4 i t 0 az 1 tak A J V ilk i lk qa 4 T the scent ot of her had been everywhere her soft hair cascading gently to her shoulders hould erd tho the big biff brown eyes long lone lashes her soft white skin md and hor her pouting lips vividly but carefully painted to en 1100 tho the likes of oame me ile he always sat gat in this spot or perched on it a fitpold in the cashiers cage he ha glanced up and smiled like a rat fit little buddha cc come me to life hie ile he speak I 1 thoughts thought ile ha remember me but then I 1 am the only customer in the place he must have smiled at me ile he remembers remember a me all right I 1 thought but doubtless relish the memory mor nory I 1 turned away I 1 help but stare ataro out the window iler her apartment was just across the street third floor front the windows overlooking the street were dark being so eo near her set the butterflies hopping in the tha pit ot of my stomach I 1 returned to the fountain and sipped at the malted seven years how do people mark the passage of seven years to some its the span of a witcha curse on a bicken broken mirror the Tho return ol of the locust the end of the itch ill gr images to mecca sabbatical leaves for teachers each has his own way of 0 reckoning seven years or a century I 1 glanced nt at armand arm and to him it probably meant another chin more money to her bar i I 1 had no idea it started to rain belting do down hard little torrential streams poured from tho the awnings just AS they had the first night we came to armands Arman dB her guardian angel shed called him lie ile had to meet and approve all her new fri friends ends for years they hod had been neighbors and armand was a kind of paternal friend since her own father had died As the old boy gave me the once over that night she eho had laughed gaily and silly or not I 1 felt pretty swell when ho he came over and treated us she told me he gave his seal of approval by treating if lie he liked you I 1 was in I 1 ordered another malted for the sake of the memory and looked up toward the little alcove armand had detached himself from his chair and with no small amount of effort was waddling along behind the counter I 1 waited thinking of that other night when she had been at my side the scent of her had been everywhere her son soft hair cascading gently to her shoulders the big brown eyes long lashes her soft white skin and her pouting lips lipi vividly but carefully painted to entice antice the likes of me the old guardian and I 1 looked at each other for a long minute I 1 wondered I 1 if he was remembering finally he smiled so he forgotten its been a long time mr anderson he said in his ingratiating rumble 1 I 1 T STUCK out my hand replying its been a very long longtime time armand hodve you beell not bad not bad ho he shrugged A bit older a trifle wiser I 1 cant complain his eyes wandered across acres the street as ho he left unsaid the answer to my unasked question aro arc you back in town to stay he ha added its BS a kind of 0 afterthought that all depends I 1 said and wondered about that wiser bust busi ness she certainly must have told him all about me but he bounded friendly enough I 1 watched watched as he ha glanced again toward the front I 1 knew he was looking up at her apartment windows I 1 tried to sound casual as I 1 asked anita been in lately ll 11 ho his handful of chins and seemed be making a decision i before he be an I 1 fidgeted and tipped sipped again at the malted ile ha stood watching me for a long minute then he said she was in lost last night he ha said As a matter of tact fact we were talking ij ig about you mr anderson ile picked up my empty glass and forced it down over the automatic washer I 1 nodded too busy thinking about what he said bald to even reply properly so they had been gabou t me what did that mean I 1 was certain neither of them knew the real story behind my sudden departure id had to go in a hurry no one knew except john and peggy As far as the others were concerned I 1 was just a guy who had taken hla his firm for a few hundred dollars they probably figured id been lucky to escape prison that I 1 had been covering for or john was nob odys business I 1 approve what johnny had done but peggy was wag my sister with three kids and another on the way johnny know knew his salary be able to stand the stretch instead of laying his problems before his boss bass and asking for a raise he be lost his head he did tho the foolish thing others had done it before I 1 got him out of the mess but no one knew this but the three of us so I 1 figured any conversation about me be complimentary unless discovered that I 1 just a cheap thief I 1 wondered she lived at the same place armand was friendly toward me what did it all add up to but did they know these things about peggy and john did they know that the money had been repaid or were they like the others did they suspect that I 1 was just a bum I 1 guess I 1 might lust just as well forget about the whole thing and go some place to start all over again 1 I took one last look toward her apartment picked up my coat and asked the girl tor for my check armand had stepped to one of the booths to greet some folks who had come in just as the rain started I 1 waited for him at the cashiers booth at the end of the counter I 1 was disgusted and showed it I 1 guess finally armand shuffled over to the cash register and took the check the girl had given me all right mr anderson he said this Is my treat good luck I 1 muttered my thanks and went outside to stand under the awning wondering where to go in the gloomy downpour then it 11 suddenly dawned on me armand had treat treated edl his seal of ap approval I 1 was still aebig mr big across the street what he ha was trying to tell met armand had let ma know that in his quaint unobtrusive waya I 1 ii atthe at the apartment now w I 1 dows there was a light there now i she was homel home I 1 I 1 even look up and down the street but dashed out into the i rain this was it the tha thing id waited a million minutes for this made mada up for every lonely night every remark handed out by those who know I 1 was going home I 1 could say aalthe all the things that had been bottled up inside me for so long longa I 1 could tell her now how much I 1 loved her how I 1 had longed for her I 1 glanced back bach as I 1 entered the building armand was peering out the door his round face pressed against the glass a wide smile spread across his countenance as I 1 waved merrily before climbing the stairs to the third floor front |