.......................
Alice
“You embarrassed me,” Alice
cried.
“Slow down,” Larry pleaded. “I
couldn't help it. I didn't expect to see my father there. And with
another woman.”
“Another woman! Do you think that
this is all some cheap melodrama. I take you out into my world and I
expect you to behave like a gentleman. Not some frothing teenager. I
don't know what I'm going to say to my friends. Maybe none of them
saw you leave. Why did you run?”
“Watch out!”
Alice skidded to a stop. The light
was red. A crosstown bus rushed through the intersection. Larry had a
vision of him and Alice and the car, crunched under the bus's wheels.
Alice started to cry.
“I'm sorry.”
“Oh you silly boy. You don't
understand what's happening, do you?”
“No, not really.”
“I don't need this. I just need
company. A little diversion. Oh, its all an old woman's... vanity.”
“You're not an old woman. You're
about my mom's age.”
Alice started laughing. She took her
cigarettes out and handed the lighter to Larry. He lit her cigarette.
“My late husband, Michael, used to
accuse me of living in a dream world. All these fantasies he said
will never bring you peace of mind. But, I can't... what else is
there. You don't know this Larry, but life is so disappointing.
Without distractions, all you hear is the tick of time. You're my
distraction Larry. I need to be... adored.”
Larry took a deep breath.
“Are you in love with me?” he
asked.
Alice glanced at Larry from behind
her cigarette.
“Would that bother you?”
“No, but...”
“But...”
“Well, I've got things to do. I
was thinking of going to Los Angeles with my band. We're pretty good.
And I think we could make it with a few breaks. I was going to tell
you. But I guess I chickened out. You've got to understand. I'm
young...”
Alice stubbed out her cigarette in
the ashtray. Slipped the gear into drive. And sped through the
intersection. The light was still red.
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