right off the avenue, Snapper pulls up in front of an elegant entrance with a red carpet and a black canopy. He stops the car, two uniformed bellmen open the side doors, a valet rushes to the driverâs door. Leonard and I get out of the car. Snapper waves off the valet and pulls away. I ask Leonard where heâs going and Leonard says that heâs parking the car. I ask why he doesnât let valet do it, he says it is safer that way, nobody can access the car if the Snapper parks it. I sometimes forget who Leonard is and what he does for a living. Snapper parks the car.
We walk under the canopy, doors are held open for us. We enter a small oak lobby. We stand in front of an elevator and we wait for it, when it arrives we step inside. It is also oak, its carpet thick and deep, blood red. It is as nice an elevator as I have ever seen. Its control panel only has one button. Leonard pushes it and up we go very quickly my ears pop.
We stop. The doors silently slide open. We step into another lobby this one huge with soaring ceilings, expensive furniture, a subtle reception counter, three well-dressed concierges. We walk through the lobby toward a restaurant on the far side, it sits in front of a huge bank of windows with a view of the city and the lake.
We stop at the hostess stand. Leonard says hello, the hostess smiles and asks if he would like his usual table. He says of course, Madam, and thereis no need for you to escort us. She laughs and we walk to a table for four near the windows. We sit down. A waitress comes she says hello to Leonard she seems to know him too. She offers him a menu and he says no thank you, I already know what we would like. She says okay and he orders a plate of bacon, a big plate of nothing but bacon. He orders a plate of sausage, a big plate of nothing but sausage. He orders blueberry pancakes, Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, fried eggs. He orders a pot of coffee and a pitcher of water and three glasses of milk. He orders three omelettes, one with cheese, one with steak, one with spinach and tomatoes, and he orders corned-beef hash and hash browns and roasted potatoes and four types of toast. The waitress is laughing and so am I and Leonard looks at the ceiling and starts scratching his chin. He asks himself if he forgot anything and he thinks for a moment and he says ha, I did forget a couple of things. He orders a basket of scones and a basket of muffins. The waitress asks if that is all and he says yes, for now. She laughs again and she walks away.
The Snapper joins us. He sits next to Leonard, across from me. Leonard looks at him and the Snapper nods. Leonard turns to me, speaks.
Time to talk.
Something wrong?
Iâm not sure, thatâs why we need to talk.
Okay.
Leonard looks in my eyes.
You drinking?
I shake my head.
No.
You doing drugs?
No.
After whatâs happened, Iâll understand if you are.
Iâm not.
And Iâd rather have you be using, than have you lie to me.
Iâm not lying to you, Leonard.
You sure?
Yeah.
Leonard looks at Snapper. Snapper reaches into one of the side-pockets ofhis trenchcoat and draws out my bottle of rose. He sets it in the middle of the table. Leonard looks back at me.
Care to explain?
I laugh.
Itâs not funny.
First you break into my place, and now youâre stealing shit from it.
Yeah.
I shake my head.
Thatâs fucked up, Leonard.
Why do you have it?
Because Iâve been thinking about it. I keep it on hand in case I decide I want it.
You donât want it.
Weâll see.
Trust me, you donât want it.
Weâll see.
No, we wonât see. Drinking is not an option for you.
Thatâs for me to decide, Leonard.
You want to die?
No.
Thatâs whatâll happen if you start again.
I know.
Do you think thatâs what she would want for you?
I havenât thought about it.
Maybe you should.
Maybe you should leave it alone.
She wouldnât want you drinking.
Shut the
We walk under the canopy, doors are held open for us. We enter a small oak lobby. We stand in front of an elevator and we wait for it, when it arrives we step inside. It is also oak, its carpet thick and deep, blood red. It is as nice an elevator as I have ever seen. Its control panel only has one button. Leonard pushes it and up we go very quickly my ears pop.
We stop. The doors silently slide open. We step into another lobby this one huge with soaring ceilings, expensive furniture, a subtle reception counter, three well-dressed concierges. We walk through the lobby toward a restaurant on the far side, it sits in front of a huge bank of windows with a view of the city and the lake.
We stop at the hostess stand. Leonard says hello, the hostess smiles and asks if he would like his usual table. He says of course, Madam, and thereis no need for you to escort us. She laughs and we walk to a table for four near the windows. We sit down. A waitress comes she says hello to Leonard she seems to know him too. She offers him a menu and he says no thank you, I already know what we would like. She says okay and he orders a plate of bacon, a big plate of nothing but bacon. He orders a plate of sausage, a big plate of nothing but sausage. He orders blueberry pancakes, Belgian waffles, scrambled eggs, fried eggs. He orders a pot of coffee and a pitcher of water and three glasses of milk. He orders three omelettes, one with cheese, one with steak, one with spinach and tomatoes, and he orders corned-beef hash and hash browns and roasted potatoes and four types of toast. The waitress is laughing and so am I and Leonard looks at the ceiling and starts scratching his chin. He asks himself if he forgot anything and he thinks for a moment and he says ha, I did forget a couple of things. He orders a basket of scones and a basket of muffins. The waitress asks if that is all and he says yes, for now. She laughs again and she walks away.
The Snapper joins us. He sits next to Leonard, across from me. Leonard looks at him and the Snapper nods. Leonard turns to me, speaks.
Time to talk.
Something wrong?
Iâm not sure, thatâs why we need to talk.
Okay.
Leonard looks in my eyes.
You drinking?
I shake my head.
No.
You doing drugs?
No.
After whatâs happened, Iâll understand if you are.
Iâm not.
And Iâd rather have you be using, than have you lie to me.
Iâm not lying to you, Leonard.
You sure?
Yeah.
Leonard looks at Snapper. Snapper reaches into one of the side-pockets ofhis trenchcoat and draws out my bottle of rose. He sets it in the middle of the table. Leonard looks back at me.
Care to explain?
I laugh.
Itâs not funny.
First you break into my place, and now youâre stealing shit from it.
Yeah.
I shake my head.
Thatâs fucked up, Leonard.
Why do you have it?
Because Iâve been thinking about it. I keep it on hand in case I decide I want it.
You donât want it.
Weâll see.
Trust me, you donât want it.
Weâll see.
No, we wonât see. Drinking is not an option for you.
Thatâs for me to decide, Leonard.
You want to die?
No.
Thatâs whatâll happen if you start again.
I know.
Do you think thatâs what she would want for you?
I havenât thought about it.
Maybe you should.
Maybe you should leave it alone.
She wouldnât want you drinking.
Shut the
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