Read Online Play It as It Lays: A Novel by Joan Didion - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joan Didion
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done it twice."
"I thought only once."
"Twice," Helene said without interest. "BZ says once because that's what he told his mother." She was intent upon her reflection in the mirror behind the table, tracing a line with one finger from her chin to her temple. "You can really tell," she said finally.
"Tell what?"
"Tell I haven't done my Laszlo in three days." Helene's voice was still flat but her interest seemed revived.
At two o'clock they met Carter and the lawyers outside the courtroom in Santa Monica, and at two-thirty Maria swore and Helene confirmed that the defendant, Carter Lang, had repeatedly struck and in other ways humiliated the plaintiff, Mrs. Maria Lang.
The charge was mental cruelty, uncontested. This Mrs. Maria Lang to whom the lawyers referred seemed to Maria someone other than herself, an aggrieved wife she might see interviewed on television.
As they waited for the details to be cleared up, the papers to be signed, Maria sat very still with her hands in her lap. Helene stirred restlessly beside her, her eyes across the aisle, on Carter and his lawyer. " Carter," Helene whispered finally, leaning across Maria to attract his attention. " Puzzle of the week. Guess which two dykes were seen feeding each other cheese soufflé in the Bistro today."
38
"WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING," Carter said the next time she saw him.
"Working. I'm going to be working very soon."
"I mean who've you been seeing."
“Nobody. Helene. BZ. BZ comes by sometimes."
"Don't get into that," Carter said.
"He's your friend," Maria said.
39
THE FIRST TIME Maria ever met BZ it had been at the beach house and it had been two o'clock on a weekday afternoon and it was the sumner Carter was cutting Angel Beach.
"I've got a meeting at the beach with this guy from San Francisco I told you about," Carter had said. "You come along and swim."
"I don't feel like swimming."
"Maria," Carter had said finally, 'he's going to maybe put up some money. Maybe. All right?"
When they walked into the beach house she thought there must have been some misunderstanding, some mixup of time or day, because the man to whom Carter spoke was sitting alone with a projector in the darkened living room running a blue movie of extraordinary technical quality.
"Stroke of two, very prompt," the man had said, and looked at Maria for a long while before he turned off the projector.
"Did you get by the studio yesterday?" Carter seemed oblivious to the meeting's peculiar circumstance. "They show you the rough cut?"
"Fantastic."
"Did Helene see it?" Carter persisted. "Where's Helene?"
"On the beach."
"I'll get my suit on," Maria said, uneasy in the darkened room, and BZ had looked at her again, then flicked the projector back on.
"It's too cold to swim," he said, and then to Carter: "The rough cut looked fantastic, except you're missing the story."
"Meaning what."
"Meaning," BZ said, "how did Maria feel about the gangbang, the twelve cocks, did she get the sense they're doing it not to her but to each other , does that interest her, you don't get that, you're missing the story."
The reel had run out and the only sound was the film slapping against the projector. "It's a commercial piece, BZ," Carter said finally.
BZ only shrugged, and changed the reel. Again the figures flooded the screen. Wordlessly, BZ sat on a pillow and began watching Maria. He rolled a cigarette and passed it to her, and when she passed it on to Carter he took it without looking away from the screen. Between the marijuana and the figures on the screen Maria felt flushed and not entirely in control.
"Look at the film, BZ," Carter had said suddenly. "Incredible, they've got opticals."
“I've seen the film, Carter," BZ had said, and never took his eyes from Maria.
40
"LET'S GO TO MEXICO CITY
tonight," BZ said.
“Who?"
“You, me, Helene, I don't know, maybe Larry Kulik, just fly down for a couple of days, Susannah Wood's there now doing some interiors at Churubusco."
"I
"I thought only once."
"Twice," Helene said without interest. "BZ says once because that's what he told his mother." She was intent upon her reflection in the mirror behind the table, tracing a line with one finger from her chin to her temple. "You can really tell," she said finally.
"Tell what?"
"Tell I haven't done my Laszlo in three days." Helene's voice was still flat but her interest seemed revived.
At two o'clock they met Carter and the lawyers outside the courtroom in Santa Monica, and at two-thirty Maria swore and Helene confirmed that the defendant, Carter Lang, had repeatedly struck and in other ways humiliated the plaintiff, Mrs. Maria Lang.
The charge was mental cruelty, uncontested. This Mrs. Maria Lang to whom the lawyers referred seemed to Maria someone other than herself, an aggrieved wife she might see interviewed on television.
As they waited for the details to be cleared up, the papers to be signed, Maria sat very still with her hands in her lap. Helene stirred restlessly beside her, her eyes across the aisle, on Carter and his lawyer. " Carter," Helene whispered finally, leaning across Maria to attract his attention. " Puzzle of the week. Guess which two dykes were seen feeding each other cheese soufflé in the Bistro today."
38
"WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING," Carter said the next time she saw him.
"Working. I'm going to be working very soon."
"I mean who've you been seeing."
“Nobody. Helene. BZ. BZ comes by sometimes."
"Don't get into that," Carter said.
"He's your friend," Maria said.
39
THE FIRST TIME Maria ever met BZ it had been at the beach house and it had been two o'clock on a weekday afternoon and it was the sumner Carter was cutting Angel Beach.
"I've got a meeting at the beach with this guy from San Francisco I told you about," Carter had said. "You come along and swim."
"I don't feel like swimming."
"Maria," Carter had said finally, 'he's going to maybe put up some money. Maybe. All right?"
When they walked into the beach house she thought there must have been some misunderstanding, some mixup of time or day, because the man to whom Carter spoke was sitting alone with a projector in the darkened living room running a blue movie of extraordinary technical quality.
"Stroke of two, very prompt," the man had said, and looked at Maria for a long while before he turned off the projector.
"Did you get by the studio yesterday?" Carter seemed oblivious to the meeting's peculiar circumstance. "They show you the rough cut?"
"Fantastic."
"Did Helene see it?" Carter persisted. "Where's Helene?"
"On the beach."
"I'll get my suit on," Maria said, uneasy in the darkened room, and BZ had looked at her again, then flicked the projector back on.
"It's too cold to swim," he said, and then to Carter: "The rough cut looked fantastic, except you're missing the story."
"Meaning what."
"Meaning," BZ said, "how did Maria feel about the gangbang, the twelve cocks, did she get the sense they're doing it not to her but to each other , does that interest her, you don't get that, you're missing the story."
The reel had run out and the only sound was the film slapping against the projector. "It's a commercial piece, BZ," Carter said finally.
BZ only shrugged, and changed the reel. Again the figures flooded the screen. Wordlessly, BZ sat on a pillow and began watching Maria. He rolled a cigarette and passed it to her, and when she passed it on to Carter he took it without looking away from the screen. Between the marijuana and the figures on the screen Maria felt flushed and not entirely in control.
"Look at the film, BZ," Carter had said suddenly. "Incredible, they've got opticals."
“I've seen the film, Carter," BZ had said, and never took his eyes from Maria.
40
"LET'S GO TO MEXICO CITY
tonight," BZ said.
“Who?"
“You, me, Helene, I don't know, maybe Larry Kulik, just fly down for a couple of days, Susannah Wood's there now doing some interiors at Churubusco."
"I
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