Except after they shelve that cart, and then three more, Auden finally glances at the large watch on his wrist and says, “I should go,” and St. Sebastian can’t help but blurt, “What was the M for?”
Auden stills, glances at St. Sebastian without lifting his head from where he’d bent it to look at his watch. “It was a long time ago, Saint,” he says.
“Surely you remember. And it wasn’t for mistake.”
For a minute, Auden looks like he wants to argue, like he wants to say something unkind, but he swallows it back. “No. It wasn’t for mistake.”
“What then?” St. Sebastian asks. “Masochism? Morality? Money?”
The word money seems to roll through Auden like a cold wave; his head snaps up and his eyes narrow. “The money wasn’t until later.”
“Maybe you had it planned all along.”
“Jesus Ch
