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Show Acting Alone Page 375 or media-figure, from a ghostwriting contract this personage had been persuaded to sign with a competitor of Nimrod, Jr. "My boy really wants to break into the journalism field, Elder. God knows why," the Senator had chuckled bemusedly. "I ask him, Why join the parasites when you can become one of the hosts? But, you know these kids, idealistic and all." "Yes, Senator," Elder Cicerone had responded, trying to sound agreeable and cheerful, even as he thought of his own boy. Streckfus' only ideals, it seemed at times, were narcotics and general deviltry. The good Senator himself had once - was it ten years ago, already? - been kind enough to take a few moments from his busy schedule to help Streckfus out with some fairly serious legal problems, petitioning the Governor to grant clemency and personally referring the Cicerone family to the best forensic psychologist in the country, in exchange for some of the Elder's special brand of esoteric assistance in a business project. This had been the type of project which, even today, after ten years, it was better not to discuss over the phone; though the Senator had frequently through the past decade expressed in subtle, oblique words his satisfaction with the results of the Elder's special help. Nimrod's willingness to join in on a good joke, along with his seemingly indestructible boyish smile, were what had kept him in office all these several consecutive terms. So, returning to the topic at hand in order to keep the conversation from turning to Streckfus, as it had been threatening to do, Elder Cicerone had decided to make a slight joke, to test the Senator's updatedness on popular Hollywood phraseology, and to give the canny old |
