"Im not. Guy cut me in the face one time with a li?noleum knife. He was explaining himself."

"In any form. Land, sea, or in the air."

"What does she do?"

"You like young twat, go after it. Onward to the merry hunt. You ever live and love in a garage apart?ment?"

"Its between Brighton and Platteville. Basically a wide place in the road," she says. "But pretty wide. We even had crack."

"Theyre getting closer."

"Youve got a good ass Simon."

"What does your wife want?"

"We had crack very early, before the rest of the country."

"Anyone who sees Parsifal twice is a blithering idiot."

"That was lousy Tex-Mex last night."

The Times is spread all over the bar in the kitchen.

"You wouldnt think youd have to worry about them 九*九*藏*書in a city like this."

He does so, standing on a chair, my God how cheap can plastic be? feels like paper --

Theres a funny chirping noise. Its the smoke alarm.

"Must be nice."

"Do you miss her?"

"The smoke alarm."

"Although --"

"What was your first sexual experience, Simon?"

"Slain U.S. Major Had One Exploit."

"True."

"Better than no Tex-Mex at all."

"You straight or gay?"

"Right."

"Sarah. Shes nineteen. When she was little she used to sing Im proud, proud, proud to be a cow. Thats something the cows sing on Sesame Street."

"What the fuck is that?"

"Did you."

"Here. You using the fancy olive oil?"

"Rather like having only one --"

"Shes a lawyer in Philadelphia. A dhttps://read.99csw.comeputy mayor, at the moment."

"Not Anne. Shes never found the right guy."

"Your husband was the right guy?"

"Im sorry.

"That was your first sexual experience?"

"What?"

"Only in principle."

"You got it."

"Thats Venetian marigold. Tastes like mint."

"The mayor seems like a clown."

"It does, it does."

"Depends upon who youre cohabiting with. Dore has a hatpin. Six inches of cold steel."

"Theyre kind of snug. Especially if its a three-car garage. Up in the trees."

"Historically, straight."

"So tell me about Fort Lupton," Simon says to Dore.

"More fun."

"Great twat out there on the streets you want some of it?"

"Unbeatable," says Anne. Shes making a salad.

"read.99csw.comHow olds your kid? Sarah, is it Sarah?"

"Whats the matter with that?"

"Why was that?"

"Extra-virgin. Just like me."

"Whats that weed youre putting in there?"

"Well disconnect it for Christs sake."

Simon doesnt understand how anybody could do this. "What was he mad about?"

"Never have."

"Hes a great mayor. Hes got it down exactly right. Couldnt be better. Hes what we want."

"You mean the movie."

"In the pen. Got four more years before he can even think about probation."

"Me too. Nothing wrong with being straight."

"Well I wont take you. You have my word."

"Has she stuck anybody with it?"

"Telling us that the batterys wearing down."

"To discourage creeps and weirdos."

"Thanks. This s九*九*藏*書alad is going to be good. I guarantee it. Let me have the lemon-pepper."

"Not in New York State. Ive been reading in the paper about these rabid skunks."

"Some pioneer cowboy chemists. As a matter of fact I was married to one of them for a while. Guy named Paul."

"How far back do you want to go?"

He thinks for a moment. "I was about ten. This teacher asked us all to make little churches for a dis?play, kind of a model of a church. I made one out of cardboard, worked very hard on it, and took it in to her on a Friday morning, and she was pleased with it. It had a red roof, colored with red crayon. Then another guy, Billy something-or-other, brought in one that was made of wood. His was better than mine. So she tossed mine out and used his."

"Its a great city. We have everything."

"Whats it tread.99csw.comrying to say? Theres no smoke."

"This one I like," Simon says. "Death May Haunt Calcuttas Streets, But Teeming City Throbs With Life."

"Oh. Looks funny."

"Of course."

Shes slicing a big radish with rapid Japanese strokes.

"Where is he now?"

"Hed been fired a lot, from various jobs. Usually he got fired the first week. He was good at getting hired but he was a genius at getting fired. I was in a shelter for battered women for six weeks. They didnt let any?body know where it was."

"Well he seemed nice in the beginning, Simon. He gave me an off-the-road vehicle for a wedding present. Those are big in Colorado."

"A one-exploit man."

Veronica is fiddling with a shirt button. Theyre in the sitting room.

"Not a thing in the world."

"All of you been married?"