Chapter Twenty-Two

The ambulance came and took Mr. Richards away. They told us if we called the hospital in a few hours they would let us know how he was. Al and I wanted to go with him but the attendant said we were too young. So the super went, although he didn’t act like he wanted to much.

We all went back to Al’s apartment and her mother made cocoa, which we didn’t drink. Not because it wasn’t O.K. cocoa but because we didn’t feel like it. I went to see if my mother and father had come back yet from shopping, but they hadn’t. Teddy was there with a dopey friend of his and I didn’t tell him about Mr. Richards.

I went back to Al’s and we played cards while we waited. We played double solitaire and Go Fish and Al’s mother tried to teach us how to play bridge. She kept patting Al on the shoulder and then she went to fix us some grilled cheese sandwiches.

“She makes delicious grilled cheese sandwiches,” Al said proudly.

The doorbell rang and it was the super.

“He’s had a coronary attack,” he told us. “They can’t say for sure what his chances are. He’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while. Hope the poor old guy has all his insurance paid up.”

I went down to my apartment and my mother and father had just come in. My mother started in about the beautiful couch she was thinking of buying, but I said, “Mr. Richards had a coronary attack. Al and I found him and Al’s mother got the super and they took him to the hospital in the ambulance.”

“Oh, dear,” my mother said. “The poor man. Has he any family, anyone we should notify?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone to notify,” I said.

Al came down a little later. “I won’t be able to sleep over tonight,” she said. “My mother had a dinner engagement but she broke it.”

“Because of her cold?” I asked.

“That,” Al said. “That and because she said she wanted to stay with me. She said she didn’t want to leave me alone tonight. Actually,” Al said in a confidential tone, “I didn’t think it would be such a hot idea to leave her alone either. She’s sort of down, you know.”

“Sure,” I said. “It wouldn’t be much fun anyway. I’ll be over in the morning and maybe we can stop at the hospital and see Mr. Richards.”

“O.K.” she said. “I’d better go and see if my mother wants me for anything. See you.”