“Paul?” I said.
“What.”
“I like being here watching television with you.”
Paul looked at me suspiciously. “What?” he said.
“It’s just nice to be here.”
Paul looked around the room. “What did you do?”
“I’m being a friend Paul. Why are you so nervous?”
“Look, just tell me what it is.” He looked at me. I smiled. “What?” he said. “What?”
“I make you nervous just by being kind.”
“Yes!”
“That’s all. I was just checking.”
“Gaah!”
A moment later, Paul said, “You know what I saw today?”
I waited. He said, “Two wings sticking out of the snow.”
“Wings?”
“Pigeon wings. They were downtown by city hall. It was the singlemost metaphoric thing I’ve ever seen. But I don’t know what they stand for.”