“So, what’s the plan?” she asked between bites.
“Well, with any luck he’s still really bummed out and needing money for band.”
Wren crossed her fingers sarcastically.
“He wouldn’t let me buy the trumpet for him before, but I don’t know, maybe I can get him to change his mind.”
“ ‘Oh, I don’t know, maybe…’ ” Wren mocked. “Where’s your confidence? Don’t you think you can do this?”
Arthur was tired. “I don’t know, man. I just work here.”
“Well, you’re never going to make a difference in anyone’s life with that attitude.”
Arthur knew she was busting his chops, but he couldn’t help but think she was right.
“You know who’s good at this stuff? Tristan,” she said. Before Arthur could protest, Wren was already dialing on her cell phone.
“He usually talks people into giving him money.”
“So just take whatever he says and do it backward,” Wren said.
“Go,” Tristan answered, and Arthur rolled his eyes so hard they almost got stuck back there. Tristan was agoguy.
“Hey, Tris,” Wren said. “Got a little bit of a sitch-ee-ation here that we could use your expertise in.”
“What’s up?”
“Arthur wants to help this kid at school who needs six hundred dollars for a bassoon, but the kid won’t take the money. Too proud or something.”
Arthur leaned in, feeling the need to correct her: “That was only half right, but…yeah, that’s basically the gist. I have to get this kid to let me help him.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Tristan said. “You don’t have to. Yougetto.”
“Yeah…right. So, any advice?”
“Well, it’s like what Wren said: Anyone with pride isn’t going to want to take a handout. You’ve got to make it seem like he’s doing you a favor, or even better, like he reallydeservesthe money.”
“OK,” Wren said. She turned to Arthur. “That makes sense.”
“Yeah, and if all else fails, just slip him the money and run. Ask for forgiveness, not permission.”
“Tristan, you are a national treasure.”
“Thanks, Wren. Now I gotta run. You guys good?”
Wren nudged Arthur with her eyes and tilted her head toward the phone.Say thank you!
“Uh, yeah, thanks, man. You’re a lifesaver and all of that.”
“All right, cheers.” Tristan hung up.Cheers.
Arthur paused for a second and tried to check his attitude. He’d been thinking about Martin, remembering when he’d been in his class. The kid was aways drumming with pencils, tapping his foot to a beat, and humming. It irritated the kids sitting next to him to no end, but now it was all making sense: He just loved music. It would mean a hell of a lot to Arthur if he could enable Martin to actually pursue his passion. It was ridiculous that a few hundred dollars should stand in the way of something so important.
“OK,” Arthur said, steeling himself. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go, then,” Wren said, opening the door, then thinking better of it and shutting it again. “Actually, I just got hit by a tsunami of exhaustion, so maybe I’ll just wait in the car.”
The house was nice, or, rather, was probably nice at one point, but now was in desperate need of repairs. As he walked upthe front steps, Arthur felt as though his foot might go through one of them at any point. Gutters were falling down and the windows were permanently smudged. The place was probably somehow worth five million dollars, Arthur thought bitterly.
