NEXT MORNING, the Plymouth an anonymous hulk lurking just outside the remnants of the commuter traffic stream. Max in the back seat, black wool Navy watch cap on his head, heavy gloves on his hands. He was only wearing a gray sweatshirt- it wasn't that cold out.
She must have walked from Train's building. I spotted her a couple of blocks away, stone-washed jeans, a dungaree jacket, hair in a pony-tail. A kid cutting school. I stepped out of the car, waved to her. She broke into a clumsy little trot.
I opened the passenger door and she climbed inside, Max moving in behind her like water flowing over a rock. "Huh!" she said, surprised. I was sitting in the driver's seat by then.
"Elvira, this is my brother, Max."
She snuck a sideways look, mumbled "Hi," eyes downcast. I fired up the Plymouth, heading over the bridge.
"Where're we going?"
"To see a friend of mine."
"How come he's here."
"Just along for the ride."
"I thought we were going to talk private."
"Max can't hear. He's deaf."
"For real?" An off-key note in her voice.
"Yeah. For real."
We came off the bridge into Chinatown, tunneling through the narrow back streets to Lily's. Elvira fumbled in her purse, brought out a cigarette. Max snapped a wooden match, held it for her. She said "Thank you" in a finishing-school voice. Max bowed slightly. "Does that mean 'You're welcome'?" she asked.
"Yep."
"Can you…talk to him?"
"His name is Max. I can talk to him. So can you, you want to bad enough."
"Oh! How?"
"Think of what you want to say, then act it out. Like charades."
"Can I try?"
"Go ahead."
She curled her feet under her, tapped Max on his forearm. Pointed at him, then at me. Pinched her shoulders against her slender neck, spread her hands, palms up. Max pulled off his gloves, tossed them on the dashboard. Watching her face closely, he pointed at himself, then at me. Waited for her to nod. He tapped his chest over his heart. Reached past the girl, tapped me in the same place. Hard. The finger curled into a fist. The fist slammed into his open hand. That hand wrapped around the fist. The two hands twisted together until the fingers were intertwined.
"He is your brother!"
"Sure."
Elvira put her two hands on an imaginary steering wheel, pointed to me, pointed out the windshield, made a questioning look at Max. He shrugged his shoulders, pointed at me, nodded.
"He doesn't know where we're going?"
"He doesn't care. He's with me- that's where he's going."