The Contract Man  I'm in a flat. I awaken in the morning and see that the midget man from my history class has stayed or is staying for the night. My friend Becky Muldoon and another woman are living there as well. The man has meat sitting out on the counter ready to cook. Becky, the woman, and I are about to cook a breakfast of eggs. I'd like hash browns as well. The midget has ordered light bulbs to be delivered to our place to replace the ones that burned out in the flat. The delivery and bulb costs are our expense. We are all upset at the man because of this. We tell him that we don't need to have all the bulbs in place until our flat inspection on May 14th. We are angry, but try to express our feelings tactfully. The delivery man arrives driving a white truck, which he parks in the alley- I'm at home now in Oak Valley. The delivery man comes in with three light bulbs and the midget pays him $14. We feel angry because we had no choice in the decision-making. Even though the midget paid, somehow, we are paying for this. The delivery man and the midget leave. The midget stays for a bit outside on his motorcycle-like vehicle. I take the bulbs. One is five or six inches in diameter. I hold it from the bulb portion and inadvertently dent it by squeezing it: it is malleable. The filament falls apart, away from the rest of the inside of the bulb. The midget is watching us from his motorbike outside the window. I tell the others that I've broken the large bulb by squeezing it, and I feel stupid for this. They tell me that a hair-thin thread is still connecting the base of the bulb and the filament, and the bulb is still good if I take a piece of cardboard and form it around the filament to protect the side of the bulb from the heat of the filament. I look and see the hair-thin filament. I realize the cardboard would probably burn up. Two other men arrive in the driveway and are talking to the midget. One man has a briefcase and a load of papers under his arm. He is coming to our door to advertise or sell something about fishing, we think. I tell the others I'll talk to him and tell him politely to go away. He comes to the back door. My sister Ramona and my friend Gretchen Warwick each run to the door, tell him rudely to go away, and then run away from the door. I walk out onto the porch to talk to him and tell him we're not interested in what he has. I invite him into the porch because it's cold outside. I ask if he's selling something. He indicates I should come with him, so I do, wearing socks but no shoes. He wants me to come out to his orange camper-like vehicle that has a high roof in the rear, which is parked in our driveway. He tells me he's been living in his vehicle about a month waiting for me. I'm disturbed by this, and ask him what he wants. He starts to explain to me that my parents entered into a contract with him. In this contract they paid him a good deal of money so that I would be taught about computers; to be married to computers. The money that was paid to him was used to buy a computer, which is now at his house being used for storing his information, documents, and files. At first I don't understand and am disturbed by what he is saying. I ask him questions to clarify, and then I understand. I'm very disgusted and angry. We're standing next to the plum tree in the back yard. I say to the man, "Go back and sit in your car. If I get confirmation of this (from my mom, who isn't here at the moment, I think) I'll come out, apologize for being harsh, shake your hand, and we'll talk. If I find out there is no bond, I'll come out, shake your hand, and ask you to leave." I think of my choice of words: I'm deliberately polite and concise. I'm very loud, firm, assertive, and aggressive. The man is shorter than I, and he is balding. He's a businessman. I bump him as we talk. As I leave, he says to me, "Your checks are good. You're pushing me around like a Swan Ball." He means that I'm strong, firm, decisive, and assertive. Before I go inside I get up close to him and say loudly and threateningly, "A contract is only legal if both persons are not coerced into signing it." I head for the back door. There is a group with the man now. I deliberately bump into one of the group, to tell him to leave. I'm in a very belligerent and disgusted mood. I go inside feeling flustered.