that, I was free to do anything I wanted. I could stay there, I could walk out, I could ditch him, whatever. But for that two hours I didn’t let him out of my sight.”
“And you agreed to that?”
“I agreed to listen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the guy didn’t tell me that. My agent did. Anyway, she talked me into listening to him.”
“The guy?”
“Right.”
“So then you met him?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Oh? I thought you said …?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t meet him. He called me on the phone. That’s what I agreed to. To let him call me, tell me what he wanted.”
“So he did?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say?”
“I was to go to this singles bar. I’d meet a man there. I couldn’t miss him because he was tall and thin. I was to have drinks with him, kid him along, keep him there for two hours. In return for which I would get five hundred bucks.”
“Less agent fees?”
“No, free and clear. What Shelly got was her business. The five hundred was mine.”
“And that’s all?”
“That’s it.”
“There was nothing special you were supposed to do?”
“No, just keep the guy there.”
“The guy on the phone—did he tell you anything else?”
“No, that was it.”
“And you never met him—the guy on the phone?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“And that’s all you know about him?”
“Yeah. Except …”
“Except what?”
“He had a funny voice.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Kind of low and strained. Like he was disguising it.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Was it someone you knew?”
“No, of course not.”
“Well, why would he do that if you didn’t know him?”
“I have no idea.”
“He didn’t sound like anyone?”
“I told you. No.”
“And what did he say?”
“Just what I said. I should go to the bar, five o’clock. When the guy came in I should talk to him, keep him there till seven.”
“That’s all he told you to do?”
“That’s all.”
“How did he describe this guy?”
“Said he was tall and thin, I couldn’t miss him.”
“That was the whole description, tall and thin?”
“And white. Tall, thin, and white. There’s a lot of tall black men. Not so many white.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
She shook her head. “No names.”
“No names?”
“Right.”
“Why do you say names?”
“Because I wasn’t given any.”
“No, why do you use the plural? Names. Who else’s name weren’t you given?”
“Oh. Well, the guy in the bar and the guy on the phone.”
“So you weren’t given his name either.”
“Right.”
“You had no idea who you were talking to?”
“No, but it didn’t matter.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He’d already talked to Shelly. We already had a deal. So long as I said yes.”
“Which you did?”
“That’s right.”
I took a sip of coffee. “There wasn’t any other way you were supposed to know this guy? I mean, what if you’d gotten into the singles bar and there were two tall, thin white guys there?”
“I don’t know. But it didn’t happen. You really expect something like that to happen?”
I certainly did. From personal experience, had I been given that assignment, there would not have been two tall, thin white guys in the bar, there’d have been three.
Of course, in her case, everything had been fine.
“Okay, so what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“You went to the bar, you met the guy, and then what?”
“What do you think? I sat down next to him, said hello, and he offered to buy me a drink.”
“As easy as that?”
“What, am I so unattractive? You can’t imagine someone buying me a drink?”
“No, I’m sure he did. So what did you talk about?”
“Nothing much. Just bullshit. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Do you come here often? You know, the same old corny, cliché lines. Guys say ’em in a joking manner, goof on ’em. You know?”
“Actually, I don’t. But go on. What else did you
“And you agreed to that?”
“I agreed to listen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the guy didn’t tell me that. My agent did. Anyway, she talked me into listening to him.”
“The guy?”
“Right.”
“So then you met him?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Oh? I thought you said …?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t meet him. He called me on the phone. That’s what I agreed to. To let him call me, tell me what he wanted.”
“So he did?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say?”
“I was to go to this singles bar. I’d meet a man there. I couldn’t miss him because he was tall and thin. I was to have drinks with him, kid him along, keep him there for two hours. In return for which I would get five hundred bucks.”
“Less agent fees?”
“No, free and clear. What Shelly got was her business. The five hundred was mine.”
“And that’s all?”
“That’s it.”
“There was nothing special you were supposed to do?”
“No, just keep the guy there.”
“The guy on the phone—did he tell you anything else?”
“No, that was it.”
“And you never met him—the guy on the phone?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“And that’s all you know about him?”
“Yeah. Except …”
“Except what?”
“He had a funny voice.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Kind of low and strained. Like he was disguising it.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Was it someone you knew?”
“No, of course not.”
“Well, why would he do that if you didn’t know him?”
“I have no idea.”
“He didn’t sound like anyone?”
“I told you. No.”
“And what did he say?”
“Just what I said. I should go to the bar, five o’clock. When the guy came in I should talk to him, keep him there till seven.”
“That’s all he told you to do?”
“That’s all.”
“How did he describe this guy?”
“Said he was tall and thin, I couldn’t miss him.”
“That was the whole description, tall and thin?”
“And white. Tall, thin, and white. There’s a lot of tall black men. Not so many white.”
“Did he tell you his name?”
She shook her head. “No names.”
“No names?”
“Right.”
“Why do you say names?”
“Because I wasn’t given any.”
“No, why do you use the plural? Names. Who else’s name weren’t you given?”
“Oh. Well, the guy in the bar and the guy on the phone.”
“So you weren’t given his name either.”
“Right.”
“You had no idea who you were talking to?”
“No, but it didn’t matter.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“He’d already talked to Shelly. We already had a deal. So long as I said yes.”
“Which you did?”
“That’s right.”
I took a sip of coffee. “There wasn’t any other way you were supposed to know this guy? I mean, what if you’d gotten into the singles bar and there were two tall, thin white guys there?”
“I don’t know. But it didn’t happen. You really expect something like that to happen?”
I certainly did. From personal experience, had I been given that assignment, there would not have been two tall, thin white guys in the bar, there’d have been three.
Of course, in her case, everything had been fine.
“Okay, so what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“You went to the bar, you met the guy, and then what?”
“What do you think? I sat down next to him, said hello, and he offered to buy me a drink.”
“As easy as that?”
“What, am I so unattractive? You can’t imagine someone buying me a drink?”
“No, I’m sure he did. So what did you talk about?”
“Nothing much. Just bullshit. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Do you come here often? You know, the same old corny, cliché lines. Guys say ’em in a joking manner, goof on ’em. You know?”
“Actually, I don’t. But go on. What else did you
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