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sir?"
    The dad pointed a big finger at Galactic Defender. "What happens in this one?"
    "You fight space aliens."
    "Uh-huh. Is it real bloody?"
    "No, sir. I don't think the aliens even have blood."
    "Okay. Let's do it." I opened the black plastic circle and helped the kid step up onto the round platform within it. Then I picked up the electronic wand from its sheath, stretched out
the wire, and handed it to him, saying, "Squeeze this handle at the bottom whenever you want to slice. Otherwise you'll just be hitting them and they won't die."
    The kid said, "Okay." I helped him put on the helmet, adjusted the viewer over his eyes, and stepped out of the circle, clicking it shut. I ripped out a ticket from my book and handed it to the dad. "You pay up front."
    I keyed in a code and announced, "Here we go." The kid crouched down, ready for battle. As he struck out against the first wave of aliens, the dad asked, "What's that King Kong game like?"
    "That's currently experiencing technical difficulties."
    "Oh? What kind of technical difficulties?"
    "Software."
    That seemed to satisfy him.
    I changed the subject. "Sir, were you a veteran?"
    "Pardon?"
    "Were you in the Marines? Or the army or navy or anything?"
    "No, I wasn't. Why do you ask?"
    "Well, if you were, the Halls of Montezuma is pretty good."
    "Yeah? Who do you fight in that one?"
    "The Japanese."
    He looked at me questioningly. "Is that right? Because, you know, the Halls of Montezuma, the real ones, are in Mexico."
    "Uh, no, I didn't know that."
    "And the shores of Tripoli, of course, are in Africa."
    "The what?"
    "It's the second line of the Marine Corps song:
From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.
"
    "Uh, no, I didn't know that, either."
    We stood in silence for a few seconds, watching the kid
hack against the black plastic ring. Then the dad said, "But if it's a Marine thing, you're probably right. You're probably fighting the Japanese in World War Two. Maybe on Iwo Jima. Or Guadalcanal."
    I shook my head and pretended to check my ticket book. Finally the kid's two minutes were up. I opened the ring and helped him step down. The dad said, "How was it?"
    The kid's eyes sparkled. "I killed six aliens."
    "Cool."
    "Can I do it again?"
    "No." The dad turned to me and smiled. "Thank you, now."
    They walked up toward the counter to pay. I stood there feeling stupid.

    I took my break at three and walked around the corner into the food court. As usual, I checked out the first slot on the right, the Chili Dog. I eat there as often as I can, depending on who is at the counter. If it's Gene, the owner, I get something. If it's Betty the Goth, I keep on walking, either to the Taco Stop or to El sandwich cubano.
    Betty the Goth is short and thin and as white as a zombie. She dyes her hair with a black dye like shoe polish. She paints her nails black; she uses black lipstick; she wears nothing but black. She makes it really hard to think about food.
    Fortunately Gene was behind the counter, so I ordered a Coney Island dog. Gene likes to pump me for information about the mall. A lot of the owners do that. They figure I have the inside scoop because (1) I write for the newsletter, and (2) my dad is dating Suzie Quinn, the mall manager.
    Gene asked, "So how's business, Roberta?"
    I said, "A little slow." No one at the West End Mall ever admits they're doing well. "How about you, Gene?"
    "It stinks." Gene speared a twelve-inch hot dog and put it
on a ten-inch bun. "Hey, I heard the Shoe Emporium is pullin' out. Is that true?"
    "No. It's Outlet Shoes, the one in Slot Number Thirteen."
    "Is that right? What're they gonna do?"
    "They're trying to refinance their loan so they can move to the Gold Coast Mall."
    "Ha! Fat chance. Hey, I just had a gig at the Gold Coast Mall. They had one of those celebrity look-alike days. Guess who I was."
    "I don't know. The Cat in the Hat?"
    "What? No. These were real people."
    "I don't know, Gene."
    "Okay. Okay. I was Oliver Hardy. There