Page 46 (1/2)

That’s me The eternal optimist

I saw the inforhtly colored octagon surrounded by scantily clad young woarettes I pushed past the three packs on the way, and squinted at the posted map of the convention center “You are here,” Ifountain, on the other hand, would be exactly where?”

“Nonsmoker?” inquired a voice atDennis Stahl of the Eakly Ti and had a press pass clipped to the lapel of his slightly wrinkled jacket “I thought you looked fa “I didn’t expect to see you here”

“Because I’hly the population of North America, and I wouldn’t expect to see hed “Fair enough” One of the scantily clad young woarettes into his hand He eyed it dubiously before holding it toward arette?”

“Sorry Don’t smoke”

He tilted his head to the side “Why not? I’d expect a cigarette to be the perfect capper on your ‘look at rity” I raised hed “Come on, Ms Mason You wear all black, carry an actual handheld MP3 recorder—I haven’t seen anyone use one of those in years—and you never relasses You really think I don’t kno to spot an ie when I see one?”

“First off, I have retinal KA The sunglasses are a ot e But I still don’t smoke Do you knohere the bathrooms are in this place? I need some water”

“I’ve been here three hours, and I haven’t seen a bathrooly concealed Starbucks at the end of one of the exhibitors’ rows, if you wouldn’t etsoff another pack of cigarettes

Mr Stahl nodded, opening a path through the croith a sweep of his arh “Water, or a suitable substitute thereof,” he agreed “In exchange, I have a question for you Why don’t you se Personal reasons?”

“I like having sufficient lung capacity to run away fro dead,” I replied, deadpan Mr Stahl raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged “I’ive you cancer, but they still cause eet eaten by a zo to look cool Besides, the smoke can interfere with soh to keepin the field I don’t need to add a second level of pollution to the crap they’re already trying to function through”

“Huh And here I thought that once you took cancer out of the equation, we’d be back to a world where every hard-hitting journalist was up to eight packs a day”

The exhibitors’ roas packed with people selling things of every shape and size, froood for the duration of a siege to uards If you were looking for fluffier entertainments, there were the usual assortment of new cars, hair-care accessories, and toys for the kids, although I had to ad Urban Survival Barbie, noith her ownunit