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Just in case, I go into the bathrooer through my hair to make it look tousled in an attractive way but not so attractive that it looks like I tousled it because I care what it looks like, and reach down inside e my boobs Salvatore looks the other way

When I get back to the table, it’s heaped with food: the bowl of hot borscht (better than my bubbe’s, but I’ll never adies, so soon What can I say, I a meat bad I can save the leftovers for the witch lady or some other street person outside

I dive into the food like I have just been released fro down e to look up from gard: Miracles really do happen

I am still embarrassed, but I also remember, I am renewed, destined for my certain future as a UN huain, seeing as how I’ve committed to a future life of loneliness and celibacy It probably won’t be so bad I will never get an STD, I will never have to worry about a condo to think about it, want it, strive for it, will probably lead htenood Zero balance Nick can relax I won’t gobble him, too

Nick doesn’t speak at first, he just sits down and butters a piece of challah toast and lays right into that, equalingpeople did you order food for anyway?” He takes a sip of my Coke, belches, then repeats my last words to him back to me “‘You are absolved’? What the fk did thathalf smile laced back on his lips

I am determined to sulk, but the truth is, I want to lick him all over I cannot believe he is here I want to do truly nasty things to him With him

I try to sound blasé “It e circuether, but just because I o all Nice Guy and like try to push our whatever-it-was any farther Anye don’t even know each other and we’ve never even been properly introduced—”

Nick interruptshis hand, slick with traces of butter “I’in’ little hood called Hoboken Where’s Fluffy were s I was du over it And you?”

I shake his hand and try hard to suppress a slewood fkin’ not-swingin’ Cliffs Where’s Fluffy were also s that are written I dumped a wildebeest and he dumped etting over it”

“Hi, Norah,” he says

“Hi, Nick,” I answer

“Can I havejacket back?”

“No” I deserve some reward for ood deeds

“Why?”

“Because Salvatore wants me to have it”

“He told you that?”

“He did”

“But what if the jacket didn’t really belong to Salvatore? What if it wasn’t his to give you? What if it really belonged to his evil twin, Salamander, who only had Salvatore’s naood twin and then Salamander would be free to carry on with his nefarious mission in life?”

“What nefarious mission would that be?”

“You knoorld do”

“World doht to just focus on being individual responsible citizens of the earth instead of assles And you can tell that to Sala you for his jacket Tell hi our oorld order It’s called the Chill the Fuck Out and Let the Girl Have the Jacket movement”