Page 154 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

Marc Erdrich

town several hundred miles away. It was a difficult decision Ed
made moving away, since his father had recently died and his
mother lived by herself in a small apartment in a shabby part
of the city. Ed’s brother, Stu, who was two years younger than
Ed and mentally disabled, lived in an apartment in the same
building as his mother. He held a steady job as a courier and
could take care of himself ninety percent of the time; the other
ten percent fell to Ed’s mother, who was ailing. Stu occasion-
ally required help with shopping, taking care of finances, and
sometimes with relationships.

Stu like to smoke a pipe and listen to classical music, about
which he had an uncanny knowledge. He was a likeable young
man, and whenever Harry saw him, even if years had passed
between visits, Stu would greet him jubilantly, as if he had been
looking forward to their reunion since their last meeting. He
didn’t speak a lot, unless it was about an upcoming concert.
Then he would regale anyone willing to listen with the de-
tails of the program, the relative attributes of the players, along
with comparisons between one performance and another.

Ed had no patience for his brother. He never mentioned
him to anyone unless pressed. Most of Ed’s acquaintances
didn’t even know he had a brother. Even when Harry and Ed
were kids, Ed did everything he could to distance himself from
his brother. Stu, on the other hand, adored Ed, and wanted
nothing more than to be with him. Whenever Harry came call-
ing on Ed, Stu would invariably answer the door.

“H-h-h-hi, Harry”, he would stutter exuberantly, ushering
Harry into the one-bedroom apartment, an arm around his
shoulder. Even though he was two years younger than Harry,
Stu was much taller than him.

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