Outer Banks by Russell Banks

decided. Even his lies betray him. It’s no use.—It’s no use, she informed him.
    â€”No?
    â€”No, she said, getting up from the table.
    â€”Must you rush off?
    â€”Oh, I left long ago, Egress. If only I could get you to leave, I’d be a free woman, she declared, and she picked up her coat and walked hurriedly away.
    He finished his drink slowly, thoughtfully, then, brightening, drained hers. He suddenly felt like celebrating.— Garcon! he called.—Bring me a double martini, s’il vous plait !
    5.
    (I N THE H ANSOM C AB )
    Â 
    â€”Where my money comes from, said Egress to Naomi Ruth, is not of much importance, you know that. After all, it doesn’t matter to me where it comes from, so why should it matter to anyone else? Most of my economic theories are of the type used to describe other people’s financial situations, not one’s own, which happily places me in the grand tradition of modern economic theorists, and also leaves me free to take whatever I can get from wherever I can get it without offending the glorious abstract—letting the general principles freely transcend the particularities of my usually very complex finances. So, the answer to your question, What am I doing for money these days? is, casually, I get by. What about you , however? Since you happen to be a woman and thus have spent most of your life locked by the abstract into a very particularized and personal dependence on other individuals (first your father and then me) for your money—to the degree that your most important personal relations have been, as they must be, with whomever you have economic relations—What are you doing for money these days? Asking a woman about her financial life is not much different from asking her whom she’s sleeping with, I know, and if you had not slept with me for twenty-five years or more, believe me, I would not feel entitled, as I do, to pry.
    â€”I get by.
    â€”We’re quite a pair, Egress laughed, aren’t we? It’s a damned good thing nobody’s counting on us to play big historical roles, to lead his revolution or put one down.
    Naomi Ruth responded with a chuckle. Egress, leaning forward in the seat, called to the driver and instructed him to stop at the next corner, in front of the American Express office. Then, to Naomi Ruth, he said,—Well, I’ll leave you here. It’s been kind of you to share your ride with a walking-man, a member of the walking class, heh-heh. Seriously, though, thanks for the lift. I might’ve had to stand there for hours before convincing a cab to stop. The hansom cab stopped in front of the American Express office.—Well, here we are! Good old American Express, eh? By the way, if you’re going to be here in the city for a few days, maybe we can get together for lunch…?
    â€”No.
    â€”Right, right. ’Bye, then.
    â€”’Bye.
    Exit Egress cheerily. Naomi Ruth signaled for the driver to go on. Exit hansom cab.
    6.
    (A T THE P LAZA )
    Â 
    â€”Ah, you breakfast at the Green Tulip Room? I didn’t realize…
    â€”Well, yes, I’ve been coming here on Sundays for several months, all winter, in fact. It’s a bit ornate, but quiet, peaceful, and of course there is the food, and the service…
    â€”Yes, the Plaza…
    â€”What about you, is this your first time, I mean, for breakfast?
    â€”No, not really. I mean, not that I haven’t dined here before, as you must remember… We stopped here many times together, for lunch, remember? Never on Sundays, though. Oh, will you listen to me, making jokes like that! It’s so difficult, though, when you reach a certain age, I guess, to avoid references either to the past or to the popular culture … so difficult just to be personal and immediate. I’m sorry about that.
    â€”You think it’s age ? That we’ve gotten so old, or so tired, that now our lives are either in the past