— Jack? Wake up…
— Wide awake who won.
— Get up, you can’t stay on the train.
— Amy?
— You can’t stay on the train, get up.
— No came in to take you to dinner… the papers went to the floor in a heap, — French restaurant said I’d take you to dinner never showed up…
— You’re not taking me anywhere Jack but you’ve got to get off the train. Where are you going.
— Take you to dinner little French…
— And you can’t wander around like this with all that money, here come this way…
— I see crowds of people walking round in a ring thank you? See dear Smyrna merchant Mister Eugenides pockets full of currants how’s that.
— Please…
— What? He had her arm, a half step behind. — Used to know every word…
— Jack I’m, I’m going out this way and I simply can’t…
— Raining?
— It’s drizzling yes what are you going to do!
— We won’t worry what to do, won’t have to catch any trains and we won’t go home when it…
— Jack please be quiet, you can’t wander around in this with that throat don’t you know someone you, do you want to go to a hotel?
— Think they’ll let us in without luggage?
— Jack don’t you know someone in town? Here’s a cab I can drop you wherever you…
— Can’t Amy. Can’t drive and I won’t ride.
— Well you can’t just stand out here in the rain either.
— Can’t drive and I…
— You’re not going to drive just get in!
— Window side see the natural… and they were swept past Girl-O-Rama Live plus Stagette Loops with a jolt that heaped him in the corner.
— Driver? she leaned forward to the glass, — one ten east…
— All go to the movies how’s that.
— Now, she finished and sat back — you must know someone in town where you can…
— Know Mister Eigen probably hates me though.
— Hates you don’t be silly where does he live.
— Opened that suitcase make him hate anybody.
— No but you must have friends where you…
— No friends Amy just you, sorry that your foot?
And she drew them close, sitting away from him to look out the window until they stopped, released by a doorman in gaping livery. — All right Jack can you, here take my arm and please…
— We’re here? Thought we’re going to a hotel have room service.
— Well we’re not and please try to behave.
He had her arm half a step behind into the elevator, half one ahead out and his weight against it pushed the door open at her turn of the key, into the foyer bright at her touch on the switch. — This my room?
— No come along, please…
— Nice little room put up print curtains get a hot plate…
— Jack! Now please…!
— Sorry… he came on toward the white expanse of sofa, — looks like Bloomingdale’s furniture department nobody live here?
— It’s just a, a place… She dropped her bag on the sofa and sat on its arm slipping the dark glasses away from her face, her shoes from her feet. — Now will you just sit down and try to think of someone to call who can, Jack stop hopping around and sit down!
— Wet shoe just trying to get off this wet…
— Well then sit down and take it off! Jack I just, I’m just terribly nervous I want to take a hot bath and go to bed and you can’t just sit here in those awful wet clothes isn’t there someplace you, now stop what are you doing Jack you’re spilling money all, oh it doesn’t matter it doesn’t matter!
— Go out find a Chinese restaurant Amy bring in some…
— There is no Chinese restaurant! Can’t you, I don’t care what you do, I’m…
— Thought you might want something to…
— If you want a delicatessen their number’s on a pad under the phone there, I don’t care what you do…!
He got far enough up to look over the sofa’s back, down an empty hallway through an empty door. — Amy…? There was no sound but running water. Movements slowed, stalking the white telephone across white carpet, getting about the place uneven gaited with a kind of deliberate cunning as though outmaneuvering gravity, he finally answered the delivery at the door and came back with it cautiously down to hands and knees, flattening emptied bags under the sofa cushion.
— Jack…? Where, what are you doing what is all this!
— Egg roll pastrami macaroni salad salmon fruit jello…
— But it’s, you can’t spread it out on the carpet it’s… She sank to the sofa’s edge drawing a robe tight at her knees.
— Kind of déjeuner sur l’herbe slip your things off thought we could…
— Oh and please look it’s something’s already spilled on the…
— Stuffed that’s the what the hell is it something they stuffed, pickles, turkey roll, rice pudding wait this must be the Greek salad have mushrooms in it?
— Why do you do things like this.
— Just thought we’d…
— Jack why do you do things like this!
— What. I just thought we’d…
— Behave this way! the way you’ve been behaving since we, behaving like a buffoon Jack I can’t stand to see someone I, someone like you Jack a man like you you’re too, you almost make me forget what you’re really like when you, when you want to be…
He sat there hunched against the arm of the sofa with egg roll. — All right, he said without looking up, and bit into it, — if you want something to eat just…
— And don’t sit there with your feelings hurt, you don’t…
— I said all right!
She bent down, dropped the hand holding the robe at her throat to reach out. — What’s this one…
— Rice pudding… he glanced up, from it up the length of her arm into shadow where the weight of her breast hung free, cleared his throat and bit egg roll.
— How’s the rice pudding.
— It’s quite good really, Jack what about your throat, have you seen anyone for it?
— Got a prescription for penicillin haven’t filled it.
— Why not.
— I just got it!
— Yes all right, she said more quietly, — but you must, do you want me to call the drugstore down here delivers, I could…
— No I can get it. He came forward between the peaks of his knees for salmon. — Do you want any?
— What is it.
— Smoked salmon.
— No I don’t think so really, I’m afraid everything else here looks rather…
— Stay away from the Greek salad.
— Yes I wish you’d put it and, and that whatever that is, if you’d put them up here on the coffee table they look terribly oily. Jack do you think we might…
— Here… he handed them up to her, getting to his feet. — Don’t happen to have any scotch? God damn it I forgot cigarettes…
— No I’m afraid not, the place is quite…
— Mind if I use the phone?
— No of, of course…
He stood slumped with the back of that suit to her, dialing, finally dropped it and turned wedging his foot into his shoe. — Friend downtown’s wife walked out, he said down working at the shoe, — apartment’s twice as empty with him in it probably can’t hear the phone.
— You can try him later, Jack if you…
— What shall I do with all this stuff? He was down for the fruit jello.
— Just, on the coffee table, Jack if you want to wait and call your friend later you could go in and take a…
— Don’t have to call him from here call him from anyplace… he was down again for a hundred dollar bill stuck to the macaroni salad and up looking, as though looking for a place to wipe it off. — Friend of ours lost in a White Rose bar somewhere and he’s probably out looking for him, probably go out and find them both in one, he said backed toward the foyer.