friend, a man obviously attracted to Naomi Ruthâs not inconsiderable beauty, happened to be standing just behind Egress, and, recognizing his bluff voice, punched him affectionately on the shoulder, and said to him,âHey, olâ buddy, whoâs that fine-looking woman you were just propositioning?
âOh, thatâs just ⦠thatâs my ex-wife.
âYou sound regretful, olâ buddy.
âNaw. Not regretful. The wages of sin, you know. Wistful, though ⦠and something else. But not regretful.
8.
(A T THE C ASINO )
Â
âStay close, mâlove. I started winning the second you entered the room, and Iâll have to quit if you leave.
âDo you think there are some sort of house rules againstâ¦?
âAgainst what? Luck?
âI thought it was slightly more than that, luck. I mean, the way you carried onâ¦
âWell, it is more than luck, of course, but we donât want them to know it, because, yes, there is a house rule against magic, another against divine intervention, a third against astral projection, and so on. Your usual house rules.
âWhich one are we breaking, confidentially? Whisper it.
He whispered into her diamond-encrusted ear. She shuddered down into her furs. He turned back to the table and continued winning.
It was quite a night, for both of them. They had such a good time together that on several occasions, half a dozen, at least, the pain brought one or the other of them to his knees. They were almost relieved when it was over and they could go back to their respective hotels along the Strip.
9.
(A T THE B ANK )
Â
âMaking a deposit or withdrawal? she asked him.
âOh! I almost didnât recognize you in that business suit. A withdrawal, as it happens. What about you?
âDeposit.
âNeat, he said appreciatively.
âWhat?
âOh, you know, the balance of payments, as it were. Itâs almost cosmic. I love analogies, as you well know, he reminded her gently.
âI donât need to be reminded, she informed him.
âYes, I remember your telling me that, too. And just about everything else we say to each other as well.
âItâs not exactly an opportunity for adventure, is it, being one of a pair of parallel lines? We stayed together too long, Egress; she reminded him again.
âYes, I know, I know. Iâve been thinking about that a lot lately. Remembering it, I mean.
âWhatâs the solution?
âInfinity, he laughed.
âNo, be serious, Egress.
âI am, I am. Weâre a pair of parallel lines, you said it yourself, and if thatâs become a problem, as it most evidently has, then the only solution is âinfinity,â which is where they meet, finally.
âOr diverge.
âRight, or diverge. Of course. But weâre not Greeks, nor were we meant to be, so we ought to be careful not to get our ethics mixed up with our mathematics. Weâre neither of us skilled enough a mathematician to accomplish it with anything like grace or good feeling.
âDonât worry about me, she said.âYouâre the one who loves analogy, remember?
âYes, yes, of course. But youâre the one who brought the parallel lines into this, which Iâve merely accepted as an indication of how you perceive our lives, past, present, and, presumably, future.
âI canât stand this quarreling. Itâs all so familiar to me, she exclaimed.âSo déjà -vu. Good-bye, she said to him, and hurried from the bank.
He finished his transaction with the teller and left also, feeling no stranger to his anger with himself, even taking perverse pleasure from the familiarity.
10.
(I N THE C OCKTAIL L OUNGE )
Â
âHâlo again.
âAgain. And again. And again. And again. And again. Andagain. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
âBeen here awhile, eh?
âThe better part of a season, Iâd say. I thought Iâd found a
âOh, thatâs just ⦠thatâs my ex-wife.
âYou sound regretful, olâ buddy.
âNaw. Not regretful. The wages of sin, you know. Wistful, though ⦠and something else. But not regretful.
8.
(A T THE C ASINO )
Â
âStay close, mâlove. I started winning the second you entered the room, and Iâll have to quit if you leave.
âDo you think there are some sort of house rules againstâ¦?
âAgainst what? Luck?
âI thought it was slightly more than that, luck. I mean, the way you carried onâ¦
âWell, it is more than luck, of course, but we donât want them to know it, because, yes, there is a house rule against magic, another against divine intervention, a third against astral projection, and so on. Your usual house rules.
âWhich one are we breaking, confidentially? Whisper it.
He whispered into her diamond-encrusted ear. She shuddered down into her furs. He turned back to the table and continued winning.
It was quite a night, for both of them. They had such a good time together that on several occasions, half a dozen, at least, the pain brought one or the other of them to his knees. They were almost relieved when it was over and they could go back to their respective hotels along the Strip.
9.
(A T THE B ANK )
Â
âMaking a deposit or withdrawal? she asked him.
âOh! I almost didnât recognize you in that business suit. A withdrawal, as it happens. What about you?
âDeposit.
âNeat, he said appreciatively.
âWhat?
âOh, you know, the balance of payments, as it were. Itâs almost cosmic. I love analogies, as you well know, he reminded her gently.
âI donât need to be reminded, she informed him.
âYes, I remember your telling me that, too. And just about everything else we say to each other as well.
âItâs not exactly an opportunity for adventure, is it, being one of a pair of parallel lines? We stayed together too long, Egress; she reminded him again.
âYes, I know, I know. Iâve been thinking about that a lot lately. Remembering it, I mean.
âWhatâs the solution?
âInfinity, he laughed.
âNo, be serious, Egress.
âI am, I am. Weâre a pair of parallel lines, you said it yourself, and if thatâs become a problem, as it most evidently has, then the only solution is âinfinity,â which is where they meet, finally.
âOr diverge.
âRight, or diverge. Of course. But weâre not Greeks, nor were we meant to be, so we ought to be careful not to get our ethics mixed up with our mathematics. Weâre neither of us skilled enough a mathematician to accomplish it with anything like grace or good feeling.
âDonât worry about me, she said.âYouâre the one who loves analogy, remember?
âYes, yes, of course. But youâre the one who brought the parallel lines into this, which Iâve merely accepted as an indication of how you perceive our lives, past, present, and, presumably, future.
âI canât stand this quarreling. Itâs all so familiar to me, she exclaimed.âSo déjà -vu. Good-bye, she said to him, and hurried from the bank.
He finished his transaction with the teller and left also, feeling no stranger to his anger with himself, even taking perverse pleasure from the familiarity.
10.
(I N THE C OCKTAIL L OUNGE )
Â
âHâlo again.
âAgain. And again. And again. And again. And again. Andagain. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again.
âBeen here awhile, eh?
âThe better part of a season, Iâd say. I thought Iâd found a
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