Sam?”
“Yeah, him.”
“That’ll work out eventually.”
“I don’t want it to work out.”
“You want it to be over? Permanently?”
“It is over. And as permanently as I can make it.”
“You’re really sure?”
“Most of the time.”
“Well, the way you look, Allie, men’ll never cause you to suffer forever. I seem to have big problems all the time. And it shows and just makes things worse for me.”
“It doesn’t show as much as you think. You’re attractive and smart, Hedra; you need to believe in yourself more.” Christ, I sound like Dear Abby, she thought.
Hedra ran a hand over the silky front of the dress. “That’s easy enough to say.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. But you’re a kind of Pygmalion determined to make yourself over, and that’s all right. Shows there’s lots of hope and plenty to work with. You’ll be okay, Hedra, I can sense it.”
“Sense it? Actually?”
“Actually. And it’s not like me to be wrong, is it?”
Hedra giggled. “I suppose not. Oh!” She suddenly unbuckled the silver belt, then reached around and unzipped the dress. As if she’d abruptly remembered her transgression and wanted to set things right, like a child seeking parental forgiveness.
Allie sat and watched her strip to panties and bra. She really didn’t have a bad figure. Better than it appeared in the drab and poorly cut clothes she favored. “Leave on the earrings, Hedra. Maybe I’ve got another dress you’d like.”
She turned and stared at Allie with disbelief. “You don’t mean, after this . . . ?”
“You didn’t steal or destroy anything,” Allie reminded her.
“I’d never purposely destroy anything of yours,” she said with all the fervor of a Girl Scout uttering a sacred oath.
Allie got up from the bed and walked to the closet. Wire hangers whined on the steel rod as she separated her clothes and found an inexpensive beige dress. It was styled very much like the blue one Hedra was now fitting with precision back on its hanger. Less full, longer hemline, but similar. “Try this one on,” Allie said, and withdrew the beige dress from the closet with the kind of flourish she’d seen salespeople use in exclusive boutiques.
Hedra was impressed. “You mean it?”
“Mean it,” Allie assured her.
Within a few minutes Hedra was wearing the beige dress, pivoting in front of the full-length mirror. Her movements were exaggerated yet controlled, almost like a dance.
She moved away from the mirror, smiling, and slipped into her brown shoes with the medium-height heels that had been lying near the bed. Took another look in the mirror, then spun neatly in a tight two-step so the skirt billowed. “What do you think, Allie?”
“I think it looks terrific on you.” The dress was flattering. “Better than on me.”
“No, that could never be.”
“You’re good for my ego, Hedra, even if you’re not very realistic.”
“I hope I’m good for something,” she said timidly.
My God! Allie thought. She said, “You need a drink. In fact, I need a drink.” Do I ever!
“Now?”
“Especially now.”
“Okay, Allie. Let me get this off.” She contorted her arms, elbows out, to grope behind her back for the zipper.
“No, leave the dress on. It’s yours.”
“But I can’t afford to pay for it.”
“I don’t want you to pay. It’s a gift.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I’m not kidding, damn it!” Too sharp again.
Hedra didn’t seem to know why Allie was suddenly irritated. She lowered her arms and said, “Thank you, Allie,” and almost curtsied.
Allie said, “I’m not royalty, Hedra.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Let’s go. The glass coach is waiting.”
No coach. Not even a cab. They walked through the gloomy gray afternoon to a restaurant and bar over on Broadway near West 76th. Before they entered, Allie noticed that the lighted time-and-temperature sign on the Apple Bank said it was one o’clock, but she
“Yeah, him.”
“That’ll work out eventually.”
“I don’t want it to work out.”
“You want it to be over? Permanently?”
“It is over. And as permanently as I can make it.”
“You’re really sure?”
“Most of the time.”
“Well, the way you look, Allie, men’ll never cause you to suffer forever. I seem to have big problems all the time. And it shows and just makes things worse for me.”
“It doesn’t show as much as you think. You’re attractive and smart, Hedra; you need to believe in yourself more.” Christ, I sound like Dear Abby, she thought.
Hedra ran a hand over the silky front of the dress. “That’s easy enough to say.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. But you’re a kind of Pygmalion determined to make yourself over, and that’s all right. Shows there’s lots of hope and plenty to work with. You’ll be okay, Hedra, I can sense it.”
“Sense it? Actually?”
“Actually. And it’s not like me to be wrong, is it?”
Hedra giggled. “I suppose not. Oh!” She suddenly unbuckled the silver belt, then reached around and unzipped the dress. As if she’d abruptly remembered her transgression and wanted to set things right, like a child seeking parental forgiveness.
Allie sat and watched her strip to panties and bra. She really didn’t have a bad figure. Better than it appeared in the drab and poorly cut clothes she favored. “Leave on the earrings, Hedra. Maybe I’ve got another dress you’d like.”
She turned and stared at Allie with disbelief. “You don’t mean, after this . . . ?”
“You didn’t steal or destroy anything,” Allie reminded her.
“I’d never purposely destroy anything of yours,” she said with all the fervor of a Girl Scout uttering a sacred oath.
Allie got up from the bed and walked to the closet. Wire hangers whined on the steel rod as she separated her clothes and found an inexpensive beige dress. It was styled very much like the blue one Hedra was now fitting with precision back on its hanger. Less full, longer hemline, but similar. “Try this one on,” Allie said, and withdrew the beige dress from the closet with the kind of flourish she’d seen salespeople use in exclusive boutiques.
Hedra was impressed. “You mean it?”
“Mean it,” Allie assured her.
Within a few minutes Hedra was wearing the beige dress, pivoting in front of the full-length mirror. Her movements were exaggerated yet controlled, almost like a dance.
She moved away from the mirror, smiling, and slipped into her brown shoes with the medium-height heels that had been lying near the bed. Took another look in the mirror, then spun neatly in a tight two-step so the skirt billowed. “What do you think, Allie?”
“I think it looks terrific on you.” The dress was flattering. “Better than on me.”
“No, that could never be.”
“You’re good for my ego, Hedra, even if you’re not very realistic.”
“I hope I’m good for something,” she said timidly.
My God! Allie thought. She said, “You need a drink. In fact, I need a drink.” Do I ever!
“Now?”
“Especially now.”
“Okay, Allie. Let me get this off.” She contorted her arms, elbows out, to grope behind her back for the zipper.
“No, leave the dress on. It’s yours.”
“But I can’t afford to pay for it.”
“I don’t want you to pay. It’s a gift.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I’m not kidding, damn it!” Too sharp again.
Hedra didn’t seem to know why Allie was suddenly irritated. She lowered her arms and said, “Thank you, Allie,” and almost curtsied.
Allie said, “I’m not royalty, Hedra.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Let’s go. The glass coach is waiting.”
No coach. Not even a cab. They walked through the gloomy gray afternoon to a restaurant and bar over on Broadway near West 76th. Before they entered, Allie noticed that the lighted time-and-temperature sign on the Apple Bank said it was one o’clock, but she
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