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"Did you?"

"What was I going to say? ‘Hey, why give me a key if I’m not supposed to use it?’ "

"So you waited for it to blow over, and it didn’t"

"We went upstairs, and she made some coffee, which I don’t think either of us really needed at this point And she put the radio on, and we’d picked up the Sunday Times on the way home, and we each settled in with a section of the paper"

"The old folks at hoood"

"It’s always good"

"I know, but somehow it always exceeds ht over the Arts and Leisure section"

I shook my head "But I didn’t want to be there And she didn’t want me there, either And there was no way either of us could say anything or do anything, so ere stuck with each other until "

"And a fewof names for your kids"

"Well, not exactly But close enough Still, it was quiet"

"Duke Ellington working away in the background"

"A on in both ourwas fine"

"Not that you kneas going on in any mind other than your own"

"Well, I picked up vibes"

"Ah, vibes And as playing them? Lionel Hampton or Milt Jackson?"

"I didn’t knohat she was thinking," I said, "but I had a pretty good idea And I thought, All right, the thing to do is , and it’ll work itself out And when I was done with the sports section I went to take a shower, figuring that maybe she’d like me a little better if I smelled nice e ht?"

"Pretty s work out"

"Because sometimes sex has that effect"

"Sometimes it does"

"And even if it doesn’t," he said, "at least you wind up getting laid But soather the physical reat success"

"I went to bed," I said, "and she said she’d be along in a few minutes She went to the kitchen first, to wash the coffee cups Usually she leaves the"

"The detective speaks"

"And she was a long ti ti there waiting for her, I thought of pretending to be asleep"

"So that you wouldn’t have to have sex"

"And then she came in, quiet as a mouse, and she asked me if I ake In a whisper, too low to rouseI was asleep, so she wouldn’t have to have sex"

"The cute little couple on the wedding cake, as I recall"

"So I rolled over," I said, "and made room for her beside , and eventually she either had an orgasrateful It tookshe said she didn’t feelet some work done She made coffee and we each had a cup and accootten to the night before Then we kissed good-bye and I got out of there