remember from the Lower East Side of New York, or certain parts of Soho. I guess everything is relative.
The rats still played in the sewers, though, and there
were a few stray cats who paced me, and a few dogs who howled and ran off. People talk about how peaceful the countryside is, or the deep woods, or the mountains, or the lakes. Maybe so. But there is a certain kind of peace that you find in the middle of a city when you are the only one on the street, and you can hear your footsteps echo on the dry pavement, and the smell of petrol and exhaust is only the faint lingering reminder of what the place is like when it is alive.
The walk was not unpleasant; there was no moon to contend with the stars that were visible through the glow of the streetlights and I was not cold. I expect February to be the coldest month, but I’m told that in Ohio January is usually the worst. February still has a firm grip, but she’s so confident that she doesn’t mind letting the thermometer climb just a little, knowing she can send it back down whenever she wants to. This is such an evening, and I can even imagine that someday the snow will melt, and the pavement will begin to sprout once more. I wonder if I will see the spring.
I regret leaving without that waitress. I am still feeling weak, and very tired.
The nights are getting shorter.
It is time for me to sleep.
This evening seems to be shaping up very nicely indeed. There is a low cloud cover, a breeze that is almost warm, and no moon. The breeze carries with it the least hint of news from the north, suggesting colder weather to come, but I think it is lying; I believe we will have another day or two of relative warmth before the next murderous cold wave hits. In either case, tonight is pleasant enough.
I dreamed about Susan, and woke up seeing her face.
This is no good. While it has been very nice spending time with her, I cannot afford, especialy now, to
To what? I don’t know how to complete that sentence.
Well, it doesn’t matter. It is time to pay Jill the visit I owe her; for I have no doubt that she has not done what I commanded her to, and probably thinks me out of her life. I will correct this misapprehension, and I will not allow myself to be distracted by her roommate.
It is time to be about it.
I’m a little puzzled by
Oh, this is too amusing for words. Between the previous line and this one has been about five minutes of laughter, bordering on the hysterical at times. Jim came in and looked at me, but I just shook my head and didn’t say anything, so he shrugged and went away. The best jokes, I think, are those played by Lady Fate, and she has just performed a fine one. Let me set this down so that, if sometime later I come to read it, I will be able to savor the humor in all its grandeur.
Jill wasn’t home when I got there, and, as I’d expected, she hadn’t made the changes in her room that I had ordered. I seethed for a moment, then shrugged and went down the hall to say a quick hello to Susan, who was standing in the bathroom, naked, with the door open, brushing her hair. I watched her for a moment, admiring the curve of her back and the set of her shoulders, then went up and stood next to her.
She jumped, but only a little.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said.
“You move like a cat.”
“Miaow.”
She gave me one of her extravagant smiles, then looked puzzled and said, “How did you get in?”
“I picked the lock, broke a window, and came down the chimney.”
“Oh, the usual.”
“Right.”
“Vivian always said that a man who couldn’t surprise you is a waste of time.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I said.
She smiled into my eyes. “Jill isn’t here, you know.”
“I know. You are.”
“Yes,” she said, “I am,” and came into my arms. Some time later I carried her into the bedroom.
I don’t know why I bother making promises to myself when I know I can’t keep them.
I was still there some hours
The rats still played in the sewers, though, and there
were a few stray cats who paced me, and a few dogs who howled and ran off. People talk about how peaceful the countryside is, or the deep woods, or the mountains, or the lakes. Maybe so. But there is a certain kind of peace that you find in the middle of a city when you are the only one on the street, and you can hear your footsteps echo on the dry pavement, and the smell of petrol and exhaust is only the faint lingering reminder of what the place is like when it is alive.
The walk was not unpleasant; there was no moon to contend with the stars that were visible through the glow of the streetlights and I was not cold. I expect February to be the coldest month, but I’m told that in Ohio January is usually the worst. February still has a firm grip, but she’s so confident that she doesn’t mind letting the thermometer climb just a little, knowing she can send it back down whenever she wants to. This is such an evening, and I can even imagine that someday the snow will melt, and the pavement will begin to sprout once more. I wonder if I will see the spring.
I regret leaving without that waitress. I am still feeling weak, and very tired.
The nights are getting shorter.
It is time for me to sleep.
This evening seems to be shaping up very nicely indeed. There is a low cloud cover, a breeze that is almost warm, and no moon. The breeze carries with it the least hint of news from the north, suggesting colder weather to come, but I think it is lying; I believe we will have another day or two of relative warmth before the next murderous cold wave hits. In either case, tonight is pleasant enough.
I dreamed about Susan, and woke up seeing her face.
This is no good. While it has been very nice spending time with her, I cannot afford, especialy now, to
To what? I don’t know how to complete that sentence.
Well, it doesn’t matter. It is time to pay Jill the visit I owe her; for I have no doubt that she has not done what I commanded her to, and probably thinks me out of her life. I will correct this misapprehension, and I will not allow myself to be distracted by her roommate.
It is time to be about it.
I’m a little puzzled by
Oh, this is too amusing for words. Between the previous line and this one has been about five minutes of laughter, bordering on the hysterical at times. Jim came in and looked at me, but I just shook my head and didn’t say anything, so he shrugged and went away. The best jokes, I think, are those played by Lady Fate, and she has just performed a fine one. Let me set this down so that, if sometime later I come to read it, I will be able to savor the humor in all its grandeur.
Jill wasn’t home when I got there, and, as I’d expected, she hadn’t made the changes in her room that I had ordered. I seethed for a moment, then shrugged and went down the hall to say a quick hello to Susan, who was standing in the bathroom, naked, with the door open, brushing her hair. I watched her for a moment, admiring the curve of her back and the set of her shoulders, then went up and stood next to her.
She jumped, but only a little.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” I said.
“You move like a cat.”
“Miaow.”
She gave me one of her extravagant smiles, then looked puzzled and said, “How did you get in?”
“I picked the lock, broke a window, and came down the chimney.”
“Oh, the usual.”
“Right.”
“Vivian always said that a man who couldn’t surprise you is a waste of time.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I said.
She smiled into my eyes. “Jill isn’t here, you know.”
“I know. You are.”
“Yes,” she said, “I am,” and came into my arms. Some time later I carried her into the bedroom.
I don’t know why I bother making promises to myself when I know I can’t keep them.
I was still there some hours
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