•
u•ached into the kitchen, he wondered if
been about to squeeze his shoulder
a o ogetsca y or hit him."
r ROM
"JULIAN" BY NELLY REIFLER
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that Peter's walls were painted red and had pic-
Julian opened the magazine to the first page.
tures of Bob Dylan, Albert Einstein, and the
On one side was an ad for menthol cigarettes, on
kibbutz in Israel that he'd visited. Julian opened
the other a table of contents. Julian squinted so
the door to his closet, so that it almost complete-
everything blurred.
ly hid the Sugar Plum fairy. He leaned against the
closet door. Peter locked the door to the room.
Peter pulled himself across the rug to Julian's
side. He giggled and opened the magazine to the
"I'm not allowed to lock the door," said Julian.
middle. It rested on Julian's lap as Peter flipped
"Don't you have any privacy around here?"
through the pages.
asked Peter.
Julian heard the door to his parents' room
"Yeah... "Julian's voice disappeared. He sighed.
open. He heard his father pad into the bathroom,
"At my mom's place," said Peter, "there are no
using the cane. Julian's stomach contracted.
walls, just big canvas curtains hanging from the
"This is the one," Peter was saying.
ceiling. It doesn't have rooms, just 'spaces.' I'm
"My dad is up," said Julian.
having problems with my mom right now."
"It's okay. The door's locked, remember?"
Julian remembered Peter's mom from a long time
ago, at a party, holding a cat
Peter nudged Julian.
Julian was overcome by it suddenly: the thing
"Do you still
` gave turtles?" Julian asked.
he'd been trying not to think about all night. It
"Yeah. But they're old. They don't move
had happened earlier in the day, when he was out
around a lot." Peter suddenly sounded weary,
in the garden with his father. Right after he
and he flopped down on the floor. Julian flopped
closed the little sketch pad, Herzl had pushed
down, too. Peter then half-opened his eyes and
against the hammock to stand up. He was up for
said, "I brought you something. I don't know.
a second, and he reached his hand out to Julian.
Maybe you wouldn't like it."
Then he toppled over and lay there on the grass
Julian tried not to sound too eager. "What is it?"
"I found it in the - neighbor's recycling," s
Peter. "Actually, I found a lot of them."
Julian felt himself clasping his hands together
breathing hard. "Get your mother," he said, and
s Julian dashed into the kitchen, he wondered if
Herzl's hand had been about to squeeze his shoul-
der apologetically or hit him. Rebecca had helped'
like a beggar. Peter reached into his bag and
Herzl up. "You have to go upstairs and lie down,"
pulled out a manila envelope, which he tossed to
she had said.
Julian. Julian caught it. He opened the envelope
"I can't lie down forever," he shad said.
and pulled out a magazine. Penthouse, it said.
Julian froze. He looked at Peter.
"It's so funny," said Peter. "Look inside. It's
eally, really funny."
"Julian" Copyright (c) by Nelly Reifler. Reprinted
from See Through (Simon and Schuster) by
ermisision of the pqblis
WISH CULTURE