more, which would be racist, just law-abiding; virtuous, even. Simply not interested in crime — in committing it. I’m not a sociologist — how society works, what goes on between people and when they’re in certain places; you know, behavior. Maybe it’s that the store’s so expensive, so poorer people don’t even think to come here. Or they think it but feel uncomfortable here or something — the grandeur or showiness of it and the street, and it’s also out of their neighborhoods. Well, it’s out of ours too where we are. But you also have to associate poverty — being poor—” “I know what the word means,” Margo said. “She might not.” “Do too,” Julie said. “Well, poverty with higher crime and stuff, they often go together, not that somebody who’d steal a kid or do harm to one couldn’t be rich or middle-rich or above-poor. They probably are, in fact, the majority of them — not down-deep or average poor — something tells me that, though I don’t know from where. Probably the newspapers. And then maybe it’s only that there are more guards here, why there’d be less crime like that — snatching kids, walking out with unpaid-for dolls — real dolls — and also the surveillance cameras watching and recording everyone’s moves. They help, but anyway, go on, the two of you, go.” About twenty minutes later, while he was leaning against a wall reading a book he brought along in his pocket for this purpose, waiting or on the bus, they rushed up to him with that look and no package or bag and he said “Uh-oh, don’t tell me; well, it’s going to have to be no,” and Julie said “Please, just listen,” and Margo “It’s a board game but one for the mind and also creative and to have fun with and it’s on sale and only 11.99 plus tax and was 22.99 plus tax before, so you save more than ten dollars,” and he said “As my father used to say ‘So I guess I can put that money you saved me into the bank, right?’ And what do you mean ‘plus tax’? That with it, meaning including?” and she said “I don’t know about those things.” He gave her a five, calculated how much tax would be on twelve dollars and said he wanted at least two dollars in change back. “If it comes to a few pennies less than that, nickels, even, fine. Your mommy’s going to kill me for giving in to you like this. She’d probably do the same thing I’m doing if she was in my place, but my head, she’s gonna have my ox-dumb head.” “You’re the best daddy,” Julie said and kissed his hand and they went to buy it, played with it about two hours that night once he’d explained most of the rules and set up the board and shuffled the various stacks of cards. “Usually I have the toughest time reading board game directions, but I got this. My interpretational or figuring-out skills must be improving. Maybe it comes from owning a home and family and all the unreadymade things that come in that the paterfamilias in me — I’ve told you that word plenty of times but have never checked to pronounce it right — says I have to put together or they just won’t be set up, though your mom’s much better at unriddling and building things.” Played with it an hour this morning, said they liked the game so much “and we’re not just saying that,” Margo said, “because you bought it and we want you to feel we didn’t waste your money,” that they wanted to play with it in the car ride home. He said better not, pieces and board aren’t magnetized so they might lose some of them, “and in this game, lose one of the more important ones and the whole thing could be spoiled.” So, they were out of the way a good part of the previous night and an hour this morning, not that his wife wouldn’t have taken them for a walk to a store or done something with them alone or one of his in-laws if he’d asked them to, and he was able to get some work done he’d promised his boss he’d do during his two days off.