you.”
“They’re cute kids,” Emma said. “And anyone whose imaginary friend has x-ray vision is someone I want to hang out with.”
“Emma used to be the most highly sought-after babysitter in the building. Once I found her in our apartment with the kids she was baby-sitting for, as well as a group of friends that they’d picked up along the way. They were all sitting on the living room floor, mesmerized by a story Emma was telling—and it was pretty clear she was just making it up as she went along,” Leon said.
“If you ever need a babysitter, you should call me,” Emma said to Nina, and Leon looked at her in surprise.
Emma shrugged. “I’m not doing anything right now. It’ll be good for me. And in a few weeks, I’ll be steadier on both feet and be able to keep up with Maurice.”
As they spoke, the woman with the disheveled hair and mismatched clothes drew closer to them. In an effort to be polite and treat her like everyone else, the adults ignored her. Only Max waved and looked mystified when she failed to respond.
“She’s lived in the neighborhood for years,” Leon said when she was out of earshot.
“How do you know?” Nina asked.
“I used to see her around, and once she came up to me and started talking. It was easier to listen than find a way to extricate myself. That was a long time ago, though, and she was in much better shape. She has schizophrenia and is probably not taking her meds.”
“He likes to diagnose people,” Emma said. “It’s an occupational hazard.”
“I’ll have to be careful,” said Nina.
“Don’t worry, I only diagnose strangers. It’s much safer,” Leon said.
“You don’t remember who she is?” Nina asked.
“That’s right, you’re interested in these things. You want to know everything about everyone,” he said, and Nina blushed, which sparked inside him an inexplicable happiness.
Emma glanced at him, ready to go home, but he pretended not to notice. No sooner had he resolved to be more fully present than he began to seek a way out. He couldn’t help himself. He was stirred by the way Nina’s eyes once again rested on him a moment too long. Regardless of her intention, it was both baffling and alluring. He’d started talking to Nina because she was a stranger, with no claims on his time. But if you kept talking to strangers, he realized, eventually they became friends.
Richard came into Jeremy’s office and closed the door, a sure sign of trouble. Upset that the permits hadn’t come through yet, he wanted to confirm that Jeremy had filed everything properly. With his heart pounding, Jeremy assured him that he had. Having fallen hopelessly behind, there was no choice but to lie to Richard and await the next set of commands.
“I promised the client that there were no grounds to stop the building, but even so, I want you to go back over all the diligence. Look over every scrap of paper. We don’t want any surprises,” Richard instructed, then said he would again be away for a few days. Jeremy didn’t bother to ask Richard where he would be because any question would be treated as an intrusion.
Jeremy used to believe there would be an end in sight, but a few weeks before, he’d been in Richard’s office when the head of the firm called to ask Richard to work on a new deal. Already swamped, Richard had pleaded to get out of it, but to no avail. There was never an end; the rest of their working lives would be measured out in billable hours. At least his father had the Sabbath; in the last few minutes before sundown, he’d walk into the house, emptying his pocket of his wallet, his keys, his cell phone. The world was divided by this impenetrable line. The phone and fax machine might ring, but for that one day, he belonged solely to them. Now Jeremy had no mandated break. It was one of the few things about Orthodoxy that Jeremy regretted giving up, the chance to become unreachable.
The firm was unusually empty that
“They’re cute kids,” Emma said. “And anyone whose imaginary friend has x-ray vision is someone I want to hang out with.”
“Emma used to be the most highly sought-after babysitter in the building. Once I found her in our apartment with the kids she was baby-sitting for, as well as a group of friends that they’d picked up along the way. They were all sitting on the living room floor, mesmerized by a story Emma was telling—and it was pretty clear she was just making it up as she went along,” Leon said.
“If you ever need a babysitter, you should call me,” Emma said to Nina, and Leon looked at her in surprise.
Emma shrugged. “I’m not doing anything right now. It’ll be good for me. And in a few weeks, I’ll be steadier on both feet and be able to keep up with Maurice.”
As they spoke, the woman with the disheveled hair and mismatched clothes drew closer to them. In an effort to be polite and treat her like everyone else, the adults ignored her. Only Max waved and looked mystified when she failed to respond.
“She’s lived in the neighborhood for years,” Leon said when she was out of earshot.
“How do you know?” Nina asked.
“I used to see her around, and once she came up to me and started talking. It was easier to listen than find a way to extricate myself. That was a long time ago, though, and she was in much better shape. She has schizophrenia and is probably not taking her meds.”
“He likes to diagnose people,” Emma said. “It’s an occupational hazard.”
“I’ll have to be careful,” said Nina.
“Don’t worry, I only diagnose strangers. It’s much safer,” Leon said.
“You don’t remember who she is?” Nina asked.
“That’s right, you’re interested in these things. You want to know everything about everyone,” he said, and Nina blushed, which sparked inside him an inexplicable happiness.
Emma glanced at him, ready to go home, but he pretended not to notice. No sooner had he resolved to be more fully present than he began to seek a way out. He couldn’t help himself. He was stirred by the way Nina’s eyes once again rested on him a moment too long. Regardless of her intention, it was both baffling and alluring. He’d started talking to Nina because she was a stranger, with no claims on his time. But if you kept talking to strangers, he realized, eventually they became friends.
Richard came into Jeremy’s office and closed the door, a sure sign of trouble. Upset that the permits hadn’t come through yet, he wanted to confirm that Jeremy had filed everything properly. With his heart pounding, Jeremy assured him that he had. Having fallen hopelessly behind, there was no choice but to lie to Richard and await the next set of commands.
“I promised the client that there were no grounds to stop the building, but even so, I want you to go back over all the diligence. Look over every scrap of paper. We don’t want any surprises,” Richard instructed, then said he would again be away for a few days. Jeremy didn’t bother to ask Richard where he would be because any question would be treated as an intrusion.
Jeremy used to believe there would be an end in sight, but a few weeks before, he’d been in Richard’s office when the head of the firm called to ask Richard to work on a new deal. Already swamped, Richard had pleaded to get out of it, but to no avail. There was never an end; the rest of their working lives would be measured out in billable hours. At least his father had the Sabbath; in the last few minutes before sundown, he’d walk into the house, emptying his pocket of his wallet, his keys, his cell phone. The world was divided by this impenetrable line. The phone and fax machine might ring, but for that one day, he belonged solely to them. Now Jeremy had no mandated break. It was one of the few things about Orthodoxy that Jeremy regretted giving up, the chance to become unreachable.
The firm was unusually empty that
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