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"My name is McKenzie"

"Thank you," she said, and continued her journey A fewthewheel to

"McKenzie, I justin the worrrrrrld will ever be the saaaaahed somewhere I had lost my keys and waited for Benny to appear The wait seemed interminable

"Benny," I called into the sewer "Benny, can you hear ators in the sewer system," I called "That’s just an urban rate

"What took you so long?" I asked

"I thought I heardI thought I heard--so--but itlike that"

"Like what?"

"You know"

"You’re not worried about me, are you, McKenzie?"

"Why would I be worried? There are no alligators in the sewer systeet the hell out of there"

"You are worried"

"Stop it"

"In a "

Only Benny couldn’t help herself She continued to s in flowed over the top of her gloves and around her fingers After a few edthem above her head "Meet you at the other end"

I watched her disappear into the pipe A ht have been bloodcurling if it hadn’t been so obviously exaggerated I waited, looking through the sewer grate, until Benny poked her head back out the tunnel

"Let uess,’ I said "It was him"

"No," said Benny "It was her"

"Her?"

"Haven’t you heard about the giant anaconda that lives down here?"

"Well, of course The sewer snake It was in all the papers"

A few minutes later I met Benny at the sewer entrance She held the keys out forwith a brown liquid

"E," I said

"Ahh, wait," said Benny She removed the bandanna from her hair

"Don’t do that," I said, but Benny wiped off the keys anyway and handed the her a hug, but Benny’s boots, coveralls, and hands were se, and she smelled like, well, a sewer

"I, ah, don’t kno to thank you," I told her

"Take ht," she blurted

"Dinner?"

"I proood"

"A date?"

"Sure"

"I don’t think so," I said