according
      to
      Thomas,
      beautiful
      much-younger
      women
      slept
      in.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      their
      father’s
      bed.
      Jarrett
      had
      met
      some
      of
      them
      when
      he
      visit-
     
     
      ed
      at
      his
      Christmas
      break
      and
      in
      summer.
      His
      father
      had
      told
     
     
      him
      about
      Finland.
     
    

    
     
      Do
      you
      want
      to
      go
      hear
      her?
      asked
      Nick.
      I
      think
      I’m
     
     
      gonna
      go.
     
    

    
     
      We’ve
      got
      work,
      pal,
      said
      Jarrett.
     
    

    
     
      No,
      said
      Nick
      smiling
      and
      doing
      funny
      things
      with
      his
     
     
      lips,
      You’ve
      got
      work.
      My
      work
      is
      here,
      remember?
      I’m
      on
     
     
      duty
      tonight.
      There’s
      a
      floor
      party
      and
      I
      need
      to
      make
      sure
      no
     
     
      one
      dies.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      laughed.
     
    

    
     
      Nick
      went
      on,
      the
      party
      doesn’t
      start
      till
      eleven,
      and
      the
     
     
      performance
      will
      be
      over
      by
      then
      —
      she’s
      playing
      in
      here
      and
     
     
      wouldn’t
      want
      to
      stick
      around
      after
      then
      —-
      her
      manager
      must
     
     
      have
      thought
      this
      place
      was
      a
      lot
      classier
      than
      it
      is.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      and
      Jarrett
      looked
      at
      the
      wooden
      chairs
      with
     
     
      assorted
      rails
      missing,
      and
      the
      carved
      up
      tables
      which
      smelled
     
     
      like
      beer
      no
      matter
      how
      hard
      you
      wiped
      them.
      The
      piano
      in
      the
     
     
      corner
      always
      seemed
      like
      a
      miracle.
      The
      black
      baby
      grand
     
     
      never
      had
      a
      scratch.
      No
      one
      seemed
      to
      know
      why
      it
      was
      there,
     
     
      just
      that
      it
      had
      always
      been.
      And
      infrequently
      there
      were
      good
     
     
      concerts,
      sponsored
      by
      the
      alumni,
      who,
      said
      Jarrett,
      must
     
     
      have
      wanted
      to
      make
      sure
      we
      don’t
      have
      as
      rowdy
      a
      time
      here
     
     
      as
      they
      did.
      And
      then
      he’d
      say,
      that’s
      what
      happens
      when
      you
     
     
      get
      older,
      you
      get
      cultured,
      and
      settle
      down.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      thought
      she
      could
      understand
      why
      he
      might
      not
     
     
      be
      eager
      to
      settle
      down.
      And
      she
      was
      pretty
      sure
      she
      under-
     
     
      stood
      why
      Nick
      never
      said
      much
      about
      his
      family
      in
      front
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Jarrett.
      Nick’s
      parents
      seemed
      very
      contented
      with
      each
      other.
     
     
      Maybe
      it
      was
      because
      they
      only
      had
      Nick.
      Maybe
      unity
      was
     
     
      easier
      with
      three
      and
      no
      more.
      But
      what
      do
      I
      know,
      she’d
      think
     
     
      during
      these
      conversations.
      Maybe
      Jarrett’s
      mother
      was
     
     
      unhappy
      when
      there
      was
      only
      Jarrett.
      Maybe
      Thomas
      had
      been
     
     
      an
      attempt
      to
      balance
      something.
      And
      Mickey,
      so
      much
     
     
      younger
      than
      the
      other
      two,
      sure
      seemed
      like
      a
      desperate
      and
     
     
      serious
      attempt
      at
      holding
      something
      together.
     
    

    
     
      I’d
      like
      to
      hear
      some
      music,
      said
      Sophie,
      not
      looking
      at
     
     
      Jarrett.
     
     
      And
      after,
      while
      listening
      to
      the
      album
      Nick
      bought
     
     
      and
      had
      autographed
      by
      Saffron,
      Nick
      had
      stood
      up
      Sophie
      to
     
     
      dance
      with
      him.
      It
      hadn’t
      seemed
      weird
      to
      her,
      to
      be
      dancing
     
     
      in
      a
      dorm
      room.
      The
      door
      was
      closed,
      only
      one
      light
      was
      on,
     
     
      at
      the
      far
      end
      of
      his
      room,
      over
      the
      desk
      piled
      with
      library
     
     
      books.
      It
      didn’t
      seem
      strange
      when
      Nick
      kissed
      her.
      And
      when
     
     
      she
      didn’t
      go
      back
      to
      the
      apartment
      that
      night.
     
    

    
     
      But
      it
      did
      seem
      strange
      the
      next
      morning,
      when
      the
     
     
      three
      of
      them
      met
      at
      the
      club
      before
      the
      match.
     
    

    
     
      How
      was
      the
      music?
      asked
      Jarrett,
      untying
      and
      retying
     
     
      his
      shoe.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      had
      seen
      players
      do
      this
      during
      important
      play
     
     
      and
      knew
      what
      it
      meant.
     
    

    
     
      She
      was
      wonderful,
      said
      Nick
      quietly.
     
    

    
     
      Sophie
      looked
      at
      him.
     
    

    
     
      I
      bought
      her
      album,
      he
      added,
      you
      can
      borrow
      it
      any-
     
     
      time,
      Jarrett.
     
    

    
     
      Jarrett
      looked
      up
      and
      shrugged
      and
      a
      small
      smile
      start-
     
    

    
     
      ed
      to
      appear.
      Thanks,
      he
      said,
      maybe
      I
      will.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre