In the evening Morgan poured himself a vodka on ice and sat in his backyard and looked at his apple tree. A light breeze blew and the apple blossoms came apart and petals spun from the tree.
Petals lay evenly in a filled circle under the tree in the dusk like a reflection of the moon on the water.
Morgan's wife had had a lovely shy smile that made her face almost pretty. She had light green eyes which attracted him because of the traces of fear or fearful misunderstanding that registered in them like barometric events.
He heard the phone ring but when he ran inside the house he realized what he'd heard was the teary whistle of his own breath.
He put on a record of a symphony orchestra and stood on an ottoman and conducted.
He waved his arms and decided he would capture the Catholic girls' school.
He would release those in the fifth grade and under.
He would keep the others without clothes in the unfilled Olympic-sized gymnasium pool.
He would steam-heat the vast tiled structure.
The nuns would be required to apply oil to the girls' bodies.
He would keep the schoolgirls steamed and oiled.
He would give them all the right to pray, especially after one of his periodic attacks or outrages.
Morgan rose earlier than ever for his morning run. He ran through the miles of streets of his suburb, his elbows swinging in tandem from side to side, his breath like another runner behind him.
The windows of the homes were dark but lit on their face by the amber street-lamps.
The tree trunks were black but the tree leaves were bathed on their undersides in amber light.
Everything was very still.
Rounding the corner two blocks away was a woman.
She was running toward Morgan but on the opposite side of the street.
He was astonished to see at this hour a woman in running shorts, and T-shirt and Adidas shoes, with her ponytail bouncing from side to side.
She ran well.
However, her breasts were heavy for her lithe figure. They moved laggingly, as if reluctant to keep pace with the rest of her.
The woman did not acknowledge Morgan, running by him with her chin in the air, but as she passed, her left arm rose above her head and from her clenched fist she extended the middle finger.