Page 71 of Playworld

Then they replayed the shooting.

“That one Secret Service guy took a bullet for the president,” Tanner said.

“He just spread his arms andblam,” Cliff said.

“That’s what I’d do,” Tanner said. He stood to the side of the screen, spread his arms, winced from the bullet, and then leaped into the air, doubled over, and fell.

“People start shooting and most people freeze,” Cliff said. “Others start crying. And others start shitting, literally. But only a few take a bullet.”

“What makes you such an expert?” Tanner said from where he now lay on the floor.

“That’s what my father said,” Cliff said.

Then they replayed the shooting.

Reynolds said,Mr. Reagan wasnothit, he was bounced around as the Secret Service agents maneuvered or flung I think is probably the right word—flung him into the car. To get him out of there. The president then went to George Washington University Hospital, where those who were hit were taken. They include Jim Brady, who is the president’s press secretary; a Secret Service agent; and a policeman. We don’t know their condition, but quite obviously as soon as we find out anything…

Tanner’s father walked into the apartment. He was just back from grocery shopping, still in vacation mode but wearing a blazer beneath his raincoat, the latter dotted with droplets.

“Dad!” Tanner said. “Someone—”

“Put a shirt on, you little faggot.”

“Someone tried to shoot the president!”

“Hey, Mr. Potts,” we said.

“Griffin,” said Mr. Potts. “Cliff.”

“He hit—”

“Turn down the volume, you’re going to destroy my new speakers.”

“He hit three other people,” Tanner said.

“Go put a shirt on right now or you can kiss your friends goodbye.”

Tanner left the room to put on a shirt.

“You should’ve seen it,” I said to Mr. Potts. “One of the Secret Service agents had an Uzi.”

“He said ‘motherfucker’ on TV,” Cliff said.

Mr. Potts got a big kick out of this.

Tanner came back in wearing a T-shirt. “One of the Secret Service said ‘motherfucker.’ ”

“Watch your language,” Mr. Potts said, and winked at me.

I said, “The new TV is really awesome, Mr. Potts.”

“Thank you, Griffin,” Mr. Potts said. “How about that picture? Tanner, what the hell are you doing?”

Tanner had gone back to sliding the giant unit out from the cabinets. “I’m setting up Cliff’s Intellivision.”

“You’ll do no such thing.”

“What’s the point of having a nice TV if we can’t play video games on it?”