“Hey,” he said.
“Uh, hey,” she replied, her eyes darting to Eddie and backto Mo.
“Honey, who is it?”a man’s voice came from in the house.
“Um, come here a sec, would you?”she called, not taking hereyes off Mo.
“Youwatchin’ the game?”Mo asked.
“Sorry?”she asked back, and her gaze went beyond him againjust as Mo felt more bodies at his back.
“Youwatchin’ the game?”herepeated as a man appeared from behind her.
He got a load of what was at his front door, his eyes gotbig and it took him a second to decide whether to join his wife or yank heraway and shut the door.
He joined his wife.
At least that said something about him.
“Can I help you?”he asked.
“Are you watching the game?”Mo repeated.
“Erm…what?”
Jesus Christ.
“Thegame,” Mo bit off.“Are you watching thegame?”
“I have it on out back,” the man said.
“I know.I can hear it.But are you watching it?”
“Well, uh…”
“He’s listening to it.I don’t like sports on in the house,”the wife said.
Like he suspected.This was why it was so loud.So it couldbe heard in the house.
“He got a radio?”Mo asked.
“I…I guess not really but he likes to pop out and look in onit when he can,” she explained.
“While he’s blasting it, but not even there to watch it,it’s disturbing his neighbors,” Mo pointed out.
“It’s a weeknight.No one’s outside,” the man said.
“I was outside.”
“You…do you live here?”the man asked, openly unhappy aboutthe idea of Mo being a neighbor.
“No, but my woman does, right there.”He tipped his headtoward Lottie’s house.“And today, she had a really tough day.Bad as you canimagine.She has her folks around her, but they’ll leave and then she’ll needpeace and quiet.Not have to listen to the game.So can you shut it off or turnit down?”
“Iwannahear it,” the manreplied.
“I don’t,” Mo returned.
“Right, I’ll go out and turn it down,” the man allowed.
