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"Not irls at once out to dinner or a show I guess I met everyone at one time or another I just met Donna once, she's on her own trip, it's like she's lost in space Have you met Donna?" I shook my head "I like Sunny I don't knoe're friends exactly, but she's the only one I'd call up to talk to I'll call her once, twice a week, or she'll call me, you know, and we'll talk"

"But you never called Kiht for a moment "She had beautiful eyes I can close my eyes and picture the color of thereen Her eyelashes were unusually long, and it struck irl of the body type they call a pony in Las Vegas chorus lines She earing faded Levi's with the cuffs turned up and a hot pink sweater that was stretched tight over her full breasts

She hadn't known that Kim had planned to leave Chance, and she found the infor "Well, I can understand that," she said after soht "He didn't really care for her, you know, and you don't want to stay forever with a man who doesn't care for you"

"What s up I suppose he was glad to have her around, like she didn't ht in the bread, but he didn't have a feeling for her"

"Does he have a feeling for the others?"

"He has a feeling for me," she said

"And anybody else?"

"He likes Sunny Everybody likes Sunny, she's fun to be with I don't know if he cares for her Or Donna, I'm sure he doesn't care for Donna, but I don't think she cares for him either I think that's strictly business on both sides Donna, I don't think Donna cares for anybody I don't think she knows there are people in the world"

"How about Ruby?"

"Have you met her?" I hadn't "Well, she's like, you know, exotic So he'd like that And Mary Lou's very intelligent and they go to concerts and shit, like Lincoln Center, classicalfor her"

She started to giggle I asked her as so funny "Oh, I just flashed that I'm the typical dumb hooker, thinks she's the only one the pimp loves But you knohat it is? I'm the only one he can relax with He can come up here and take his shoes off and let his mind roll out Do you knohat a kar to do with reincarnation I don't know if you believe in that"

"I never thought about it much"

"Well, I don't know if I believe in it either, but sometimes I think Chance and I knew each other in another life Not necessarily as lovers orlike that Like we could have been brother and sister, or maybe he was my father or I was his mother Or we could even have both been the sae from one lifeti Anything, really"

The telephone cut into her speculations She crossed the roo with her back to ainst her hip I couldn't hear her conversation She talked for a moment or two, then covered the mouthpiece and turned to me

"Matt," she said, "I don't want to hassle you, but do you have any idea how long we're gonna be?"

"Not long"

"Like could I tell somebody it would be cool to coain, finished the conversation quietly, hung up "That was one of uy I told hiain I asked her if she'd had the apartment before she hooked up with Chance She said she'd been with Chance for two years and eight er place in Chelsea with three other girls Chance had had this apartment all ready for her All she'd had to do was move into it

"I just moved my furniture in," she said "Except the waterbed That was already here I had a single bed that I got rid of And I bought the Magritte poster, and the masks were here" I hadn't noticed theof three soles on the wall behind me "He knows about the He knows things like that"

I said that the apart as," I said "With elevators and all"

"Oh, right I didn't knohat you htly "This is so different," she said "The johns who come here, they don't think they're johns"

"How do you mean?"

"They think they're friends of e chick, which I am, and that they're et laid, let's face it, but they could get laid quicker and easier in a ? But they can come up here and take off their shoes and se pad, I hts of stairs and then you roll around in a waterbed I et paid They give ot rent to pay and, you know, I'e chick ants toto Which I' lessons a coupleclass with Ed Kovens every Thursday night, and I was in a showcase last May for three weekends in Tribeca We did Ibsen, When We Dead Awake, and do you believe that three of an telling ht her presents in addition to the ave her "I never have to buy any booze In fact I have it to give away because I don't drink ets the best grass? Wall Street guys They'll buy an ounce and we'll smoke a little and they'll leavelashes at me "I kind of like to smoke," she said