come. Some of them are getting ready to walk. The man who was trying to explain something is still trying to explain something. He is trying to explain it to someone else now.
No one looks at Emile. No one ever looks at Emile. He is standing away from everyone else. His collar is turned up. It is getting cold at night. He looks in the window. He watches what is happening inside the bar.
The people who work in the bar do the things that they do when the bar closes. Emile watches someone mop the floor. Someone else is in the kitchen washing glasses. When they are done Nicolas comes out of the bar.He is wearing his fancy scarf.
Emile lights his cigarette. He passes it to Nicolas.
Nicolas smokes some of the cigarette. He passes it back to Emile. He says: âShall we go?â
Emile nods his head.
They walk to the end of the street. They stop. They wait for a streetcar. They pass the cigarette back and forth between them.
Nicolas has the cigarette. He draws on it. He looks at Emile.
He says: âThereâs something bothering you.â
Emile shrugs his shoulders. Nicolas passes the cigarette to him. Emile takes the cigarette. He draws on it.
Emile says: âI do not know what I am going to do.â
Nicolas punches him in the shoulder. He does it playfully. He says: âYouâll think of something.â
The streetcar comes.
They get on the streetcar. They go home.
6
Isobel is not asleep.
She is lying in her bed. There is a blanket over her. It is the middle of the night. She is looking up at the ceiling.
Light is coming in through the window. There is a light in the alley. It is coming in through the window. Isobel can see it on the ceiling.
She watches the light on the ceiling. She is not asleep. She wants to be asleep but she is not asleep. She tried to go to sleep. Now she is watching the light on the ceiling.
There is nothing else to do.
She sits up.
She holds the blanket to her body. It is cold in the room. It cannot be helped. It is cold outside.
She pulls her hands through her hair. She wants to sleep. It does not matter that she will have nightmares. She is tired. She needs to sleep. She does not understand why she is not sleeping.
She stands up.
She is naked. Goosebumps rise on her skin. She shivers. She is thin. She gets cold easily. She walks to the middle of the room.
When she walks she looks clumsy. She is too tall. Her body is too long.
She is standing in the middle of the room. The light is over her head. She pulls on the cord hanging from the light. The light turns on.
She pulls her hands through her hair. Her hair is long and thick and almost black. When she is naked it looks like she has too much hair. It looks too heavy hanging from her head.
Her dress is on the floor by the bed. She walks over to where her dress is. She bends down. She picks it up. She puts it on the bed. She looks at her dress lying on her bed.
It is dirty. The collar is ripped. It is coming off the dress. She scowls. She is tired of wearing this dress. She puts it on.
She raises her dress over her head and lets it fall onto her body. It is supposed to be a nice dress. It has frills at the collar. It shows her collarbones. It is not warm. There are still goose-bumps on her skin.
She walks to the door. Her shoes are beside the door. She puts her shoes on. She opens the door. She pulls her hands through her hair again. She ties her hair back.
She leaves the room.
She is standing in the street. She is in front of the grocery store. It is not dark. The street lights are on. It would be dark if the street lights were not on. It is the middle of the night.
Isobel is standing in the street.
She wants to go somewhere. She is standing in the street in the middle of the night. She does not know where she can go. She knows where she can go during the day but she does not know where to go at night. She has never been allowed to stay out this late before.
She wraps her arms around her body. It is cold. She
No one looks at Emile. No one ever looks at Emile. He is standing away from everyone else. His collar is turned up. It is getting cold at night. He looks in the window. He watches what is happening inside the bar.
The people who work in the bar do the things that they do when the bar closes. Emile watches someone mop the floor. Someone else is in the kitchen washing glasses. When they are done Nicolas comes out of the bar.He is wearing his fancy scarf.
Emile lights his cigarette. He passes it to Nicolas.
Nicolas smokes some of the cigarette. He passes it back to Emile. He says: âShall we go?â
Emile nods his head.
They walk to the end of the street. They stop. They wait for a streetcar. They pass the cigarette back and forth between them.
Nicolas has the cigarette. He draws on it. He looks at Emile.
He says: âThereâs something bothering you.â
Emile shrugs his shoulders. Nicolas passes the cigarette to him. Emile takes the cigarette. He draws on it.
Emile says: âI do not know what I am going to do.â
Nicolas punches him in the shoulder. He does it playfully. He says: âYouâll think of something.â
The streetcar comes.
They get on the streetcar. They go home.
6
Isobel is not asleep.
She is lying in her bed. There is a blanket over her. It is the middle of the night. She is looking up at the ceiling.
Light is coming in through the window. There is a light in the alley. It is coming in through the window. Isobel can see it on the ceiling.
She watches the light on the ceiling. She is not asleep. She wants to be asleep but she is not asleep. She tried to go to sleep. Now she is watching the light on the ceiling.
There is nothing else to do.
She sits up.
She holds the blanket to her body. It is cold in the room. It cannot be helped. It is cold outside.
She pulls her hands through her hair. She wants to sleep. It does not matter that she will have nightmares. She is tired. She needs to sleep. She does not understand why she is not sleeping.
She stands up.
She is naked. Goosebumps rise on her skin. She shivers. She is thin. She gets cold easily. She walks to the middle of the room.
When she walks she looks clumsy. She is too tall. Her body is too long.
She is standing in the middle of the room. The light is over her head. She pulls on the cord hanging from the light. The light turns on.
She pulls her hands through her hair. Her hair is long and thick and almost black. When she is naked it looks like she has too much hair. It looks too heavy hanging from her head.
Her dress is on the floor by the bed. She walks over to where her dress is. She bends down. She picks it up. She puts it on the bed. She looks at her dress lying on her bed.
It is dirty. The collar is ripped. It is coming off the dress. She scowls. She is tired of wearing this dress. She puts it on.
She raises her dress over her head and lets it fall onto her body. It is supposed to be a nice dress. It has frills at the collar. It shows her collarbones. It is not warm. There are still goose-bumps on her skin.
She walks to the door. Her shoes are beside the door. She puts her shoes on. She opens the door. She pulls her hands through her hair again. She ties her hair back.
She leaves the room.
She is standing in the street. She is in front of the grocery store. It is not dark. The street lights are on. It would be dark if the street lights were not on. It is the middle of the night.
Isobel is standing in the street.
She wants to go somewhere. She is standing in the street in the middle of the night. She does not know where she can go. She knows where she can go during the day but she does not know where to go at night. She has never been allowed to stay out this late before.
She wraps her arms around her body. It is cold. She
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