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“How long is this going to take, Al? Because I’ve got some honors themes to correct before I can
close up my grade book for the school year.”
“It’ll take as long as you want,” he said, “because it’ll only take two minutes. It always takes two
minutes. Take an hour and really look around, if you want, but I wouldn’t, not the first time, because
it’s a shock to the system. You’ll see. Will you trust me on this?” Something he saw on my face
tightened his lips over that reduced set of teeth. “Please. Please, Jake. Dying man’s request.”
I was sure he was crazy, but I was equally sure that he was telling the truth about his condition.
His eyes seemed to have retreated deeper into their sockets in the short time we’d been talking. Also,
he was exhausted. Just the two dozen steps from the booth at one end of the diner to the pantry at the
other had left him swaying on his feet. And the bloody handkerchief, I reminded myself. Don’t forget
the bloody handkerchief.
Also . . . sometimes it’s just easier to go along, don’t you think? “Let go and let God,” they like to
say in the meetings my ex-wife goes to, but I decided this was going to be a case of let go and let Al.
Up to a point, at any rate. And hey, I told myself, you have to go through more rigamarole than this
just to get on an airplane these days. He isn’t even asking me to put my shoes on a conveyor.
I unclipped my phone from my belt and put it on top of a canned tuna carton. I added my wallet, a
little fold of paper money, a dollar fifty or so in change, and my key ring.
“Keep the keys, they don’t matter.”
Well, they did to me, but I kept my mouth shut.
Al reached into his pocket and brought out a sheaf of bills considerably thicker than the one I’d
deposited on top of the carton. He held the wad out to me. “Mad money. In case you want to buy a
souvenir, or something. Go on and take it.”
“Why wouldn’t I use my own money for that?” I sounded quite reasonable, I thought. Just as if this
crazy conversation made sense.
“Never mind that now,” he said. “The experience will answer most of your questions better than I
could even if I was feeling tip-top, and right now I’m on the absolute other side of the world from tiptop.
Take the money.”
I took the money and thumbed through it. There were ones on top and they looked okay. Then I
came to a five, and that looked both okay and not okay. It said SILVER CERTIFICATE above Abe
Lincoln’s picture, and to his left there was a big blue 5. I held it up to the light.
“It ain’t counterfeit, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Al sounded wearily amused.
Maybe not—it felt as real as it looked—but there was no bleed-through image.
“If it’s real, it’s old,” I said.
“Just put the money in your pocket, Jake.”
I did.
“Are you carrying a pocket calculator? Any other electronics?”
“Nope.”
“I guess you’re good to go, then. Turn around so you’re looking at the back of the pantry.” Before I
could do it, he slapped his forehead and said, “Oh God, where are my brains? I forgot the Yellow Card
Man.”
“The who? The what?”
“The Yellow Card Man. That’s just what I call him, I don’t know his real name. Here, take this.”
He rummaged in his pocket, then handed me a fifty-cent piece. I hadn’t seen one in years. Maybe not
since I was a kid.
I hefted it. “I don’t think you want to give me this. It’s probably valuable.”
“Of course it’s valuable, it’s worth half a buck.”
He got coughing, and this time it shook him like a hard wind, but he waved me off when I started