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’Good afternoon, sir,’ she said ’Would you like soain

’We know each other, don’t we?’ said Abel

Wes, we do, Wladek’

Abel cringed at the sound of the na how the short fair hair had been long and s

’Zaphia, we cao What are you doing here?’

’I work here, as you can see Would you like some tea, sir?’Her Polish accent warht,’he said

’I can’t, Wadek We’re not allowed to go out with the customers If we do, we automatically lose our jobs’

’I’m not a customer,’ said Abel, ’I’ to coo as soon as he had settled down, and when you did come you didn’t even remeive ht just this once,’ said Abel

’Just this once,’ she repeated

’Meet e’s at seven o’clock Would that suit you?’

Zapbia flushed at the nao, and she would have been nervous to be there as a waitress, let alone as a custorand, Wladek’

’Where?’said Abel

9)o you know The Sausage on the corner of Forty - third?’

’No, I don’t,’ he admitted, ’but I’ll find it Seven o’clock’

’Seven o’clock, Wladek That will be lovely By the way, do you want any tea?’

’No, I think I’ll skip it,’ said Abel

She s her serve tea for several minutes She wasPerhaps killing ti to be so bad after all

The Sausage brought back all of Abel’s worst er beer while he waited for Zaphia and watched with professional disapproval as the waiters slapped the food around He was unable to decide which looked worse: the service or the food Zaphia was nearly twenty minutes late by - the time she appeared in the doorway, as smart as a band - box in a crisp yellow dress that looked as if it had been recently taken up a few inches to confor her forrey eyes searched the tables for Wladek, and her pink cheeks reddened as she became conscious of other , Wladek,’ she said in Polish