by adding, "Not that I'm dating Nina."
"If you're not dating her," Max asked, "how are you seeing her?"
"We watch movies," Alex said. "And it's a damn good thing there are a hell of a lot of them in the world or I'd be out in the cold. Even I'm getting tired of them, but that and jogging are the only reasons I can think of to be with her." He closed his eyes, remembering. "She stretches out on the couch behind me, and I can smell her perfume, and she laughs in my ear, and I swear to God, one of these days I'm going to jump her, and then she'll never speak to me gain."
"Don't be a wuss," Max said. "Do it."
"No," Alex said. "I'm not going to screw this up. I want more than a one-night stand here. I want a multiple-night stand. And besides, I'm considering a plan. If it works out, not even Nina will think I'm a kid."
Max snorted. "This should be good."
Alex thought of Nina again. "God, I hope so."
* * *
Nina and Fred came running up the stairs two weeks later on a Saturday afternoon late in June, ready for their after-ralk ration of one Oreo apiece, to find Charity sitting on le floor by their door.
"It's almost done, Neen." Charity scrambled to her feet nd yanked her blue vinyl miniskirt down with one hand hile she clutched manuscript pages in the other. "Only one more chapter to go. I've been working on it night and day, even at the shop.''
She hesitated, and Nina realized that she was nervous, she'd never seen Chanty nervous before.
"It's going to be reat," she told Charity, moving toward her.
Fred, already there, wiped his nose on Charity's black stockings as a show of support.
Charity looked down in distaste. "Don't they make anti-histamines for dogs? His snot problem is getting worse."
Nina took the manuscript from her. "It truly is going to be great. I've read the first chapters, and they're terrific, really interesting."
"I don't know." Charity clasped her hands together tightly. "I just don't know. After a while, the chapters all started to sound alike.''
Nina sighed in relief. She'd noticed that problem, too. "Well, it'll help in the rewrite if you make Jane learn something each time," Nina told her. "This is a first draft. You'll get it in the rewrite."
Charity looked at her. "You'd be tougher on a writer you didn't know, wouldn't you?"
Nina looked back at her, exasperated. "I am never tough during a first draft. You want me to beat you up, fine. But let's get the whole book done first. Then we can look at it and see where it needs fixing. I'll call you all the names you want then."
Charity shook her head. "I wish I knew somebody else to give this to. Another reader, you know?
Somebody who doesn't know me like you do. You'd like it just because I wrote it."
Nina flipped through the manuscript, stopping at the ninth chapter title. "Oedipus Rat?"
Charity nodded. "That was Bob. He cheated on me with his mother. Told me he was too busy to see me and then took her to bingo. I thought it was A Sign."
Nina nodded with her. "Yes, I'd think that, too." She flipped through the pages again. "Did I miss something? Where's the chapter on your marriage?"
"It's in there," Charity said. "Keep looking. Chapter ten. It was tough to write."
Nina winced, feeling guilty because she was making Charity relive her one-year disaster. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Charity said. "The theme of that chapter is never marry a doctor because they're never home, and when they do come home they're too tired to have sex, so they watch television and go to sleep.
This chapter alone is going to be worth the price of the book in heartache avoided."
Nina thought of Alex the night before, propped up against her couch, cheering while Harrison Ford found the ark of the covenant. "You're exaggerating."
"Oh, yeah?" Charity leaned against the door. "One night, in order to jump start my marriage, I met Kenneth at the door in the nude. He kissed my cheek, walked into the bedroom, crawled into bed and fell asleep. It's all in there. Chapter
"If you're not dating her," Max asked, "how are you seeing her?"
"We watch movies," Alex said. "And it's a damn good thing there are a hell of a lot of them in the world or I'd be out in the cold. Even I'm getting tired of them, but that and jogging are the only reasons I can think of to be with her." He closed his eyes, remembering. "She stretches out on the couch behind me, and I can smell her perfume, and she laughs in my ear, and I swear to God, one of these days I'm going to jump her, and then she'll never speak to me gain."
"Don't be a wuss," Max said. "Do it."
"No," Alex said. "I'm not going to screw this up. I want more than a one-night stand here. I want a multiple-night stand. And besides, I'm considering a plan. If it works out, not even Nina will think I'm a kid."
Max snorted. "This should be good."
Alex thought of Nina again. "God, I hope so."
* * *
Nina and Fred came running up the stairs two weeks later on a Saturday afternoon late in June, ready for their after-ralk ration of one Oreo apiece, to find Charity sitting on le floor by their door.
"It's almost done, Neen." Charity scrambled to her feet nd yanked her blue vinyl miniskirt down with one hand hile she clutched manuscript pages in the other. "Only one more chapter to go. I've been working on it night and day, even at the shop.''
She hesitated, and Nina realized that she was nervous, she'd never seen Chanty nervous before.
"It's going to be reat," she told Charity, moving toward her.
Fred, already there, wiped his nose on Charity's black stockings as a show of support.
Charity looked down in distaste. "Don't they make anti-histamines for dogs? His snot problem is getting worse."
Nina took the manuscript from her. "It truly is going to be great. I've read the first chapters, and they're terrific, really interesting."
"I don't know." Charity clasped her hands together tightly. "I just don't know. After a while, the chapters all started to sound alike.''
Nina sighed in relief. She'd noticed that problem, too. "Well, it'll help in the rewrite if you make Jane learn something each time," Nina told her. "This is a first draft. You'll get it in the rewrite."
Charity looked at her. "You'd be tougher on a writer you didn't know, wouldn't you?"
Nina looked back at her, exasperated. "I am never tough during a first draft. You want me to beat you up, fine. But let's get the whole book done first. Then we can look at it and see where it needs fixing. I'll call you all the names you want then."
Charity shook her head. "I wish I knew somebody else to give this to. Another reader, you know?
Somebody who doesn't know me like you do. You'd like it just because I wrote it."
Nina flipped through the manuscript, stopping at the ninth chapter title. "Oedipus Rat?"
Charity nodded. "That was Bob. He cheated on me with his mother. Told me he was too busy to see me and then took her to bingo. I thought it was A Sign."
Nina nodded with her. "Yes, I'd think that, too." She flipped through the pages again. "Did I miss something? Where's the chapter on your marriage?"
"It's in there," Charity said. "Keep looking. Chapter ten. It was tough to write."
Nina winced, feeling guilty because she was making Charity relive her one-year disaster. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Charity said. "The theme of that chapter is never marry a doctor because they're never home, and when they do come home they're too tired to have sex, so they watch television and go to sleep.
This chapter alone is going to be worth the price of the book in heartache avoided."
Nina thought of Alex the night before, propped up against her couch, cheering while Harrison Ford found the ark of the covenant. "You're exaggerating."
"Oh, yeah?" Charity leaned against the door. "One night, in order to jump start my marriage, I met Kenneth at the door in the nude. He kissed my cheek, walked into the bedroom, crawled into bed and fell asleep. It's all in there. Chapter
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