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- It was a clear hot August morning and she was walking the way
- women walk when they want you to know that their destination is an
- erotic one. I pulled out my microcassette recorder and didn't
- press down any buttons. I spoke into it as she came near. "It was
- a clear hot August morning and she was walking the way women walk
- when they want you to know that their destination is an erotic
- one."
- She stopped. "God damn it. God damn you." She smoothed the
- yellow of her dress under her and sat down on the bench. She
- continued. "You didn't press the record button. What a
- bullshitter."
- "You noticed."
- "Fraid so, slick. You did it for *my* benefit?"
- "You're *here*..."
- "So how many girls do you pick up that way?"
- "Counting you?"
- She bent down and adjusted the heel strap on her sandal.
- "Actually," I said, "I was not looking to pick anyone up."
- "Well then why did you drop that bomb?"
- I pointed at the sculpture in front of the library building
- and then down to the walk. The way the sun was hitting the edge of
- the sculpture it was casting gorgeous crazy shadows along the walk.
- "So it was a gift, then? But not to me. To the day."
- "Yup. That's all."
- "Thanks, I guess," she said. Then she took the recorder from
- my hand, pressed down 'record' and 'play' and said, "It was a
- dreary wet December day and he was walking the way truck drivers
- walk when they have to take a dump."
- "Hey, you're good."
- "Think so?" She handed the recorder back to me.
- "Oh yeah. Could be--"
- "Better? Could be better? You think you can do better, don't
- you?"
- "To be honest, yeah. But what do I w--"
- "All right, I'll make you a deal. If you do better, you can
- have me."
- "And if I don't?"
- "No confidence?"
- I pressed the 'record' and 'play' and said, "It was a heavy
- September morning and he was walking the way truck drivers walk
- when they want you to know they have to take a dump."
- As we walked off she said, "Hey, you were right."
- I felt her hand around my tricep and looked over at her.
- "About my destination," she said, and we walked on.
-
- RICHH