thought.
âThis scene is intense,â I said.
And Ruth nodded. She grabbed my hand. Shewas wearing tall pointy boots and a miniskirt and a shredded leather jacket with a bright orange shirt underneath that had a high collar. Her honey-colored hair was down and flowing.
âDo you live here?â I asked.
âNoâI live in this old loft in Nolita with my parents, on Mulberry Street across from Saint Valentineâs. But Iâm here all the time. I worked at the Bell Café last summer, but I still like to hang out there even when Iâm not working.â
âThatâs cool,â I said.
We got to the Bell Café and went to the back garden, even though it was cold back there. They had a bench with a stone table in front of it and she nestled close to me. The sun was low, but it found its way to us through the scraggly trees.
âWhat about youâwhere do you live?â
âI live with my mom, but sheâs away right now. So Iâm staying with my friends.â
âI met them the other night.â
âWell, you met two. There are two more.â
âFive of you.â
âExcept one of us is Patch and heâs never really around.â
âWhere is he?â
âHeâs lost.â
She smiled. And then we were kissing on the bench. And I was happily alone with her. Or we were alone together. Or it didnât matter. Iâd met a girl at a party who Iâd already had electricity with on the street so it felt like fate, and weâd clicked against all odds of that happening, and now we were kissing and I wanted to never be with anybody else again but her.
âI donât know what it is,â she said.
âYeah.â
We stayed there until it was pretty dark, huddled together in the back of that café. Music came from inside, Velvet Underground, and it was like the whole feel of being with her, warm and trusting and extremely cool. She made me feel good, so good I had completely forgotten about all the trouble with my dad, and all the trouble I sensed was somehow brewing with my guys. After a while though, she said she had to get home to hang out with her parents before going out with her friends. And I had to get back to Arnoâs.
âWhen can I see you again?â I asked.
âI donât know,â she said. And she was suddenly uncertain. Now that it was dark it was kind of cold, so we stepped inside the Bell, where they were transitioning from daytime coffee spot tonighttime bar. I tried to keep looking at her eyes, but she was looking around.
âWhat?â
âLetâs not schedule anything. Letâs just talk later, okay?â Her voice was so imperfect, and I just canât say enough about itâwhat a relief that single imperfection was. I took up her honey-colored hair, touched her neck, and kissed her once, slowly.
âOkay,â I said.
dinner with the wildenburgers
Patchâs parents, Frederick and Fiona Flood, were at Arnoâs for dinner, along with a completely nondescript pair of Arnoâs dadâs business friends. Arno sat and drank wine with them in the living room. Everyone was on two couches, facing each other, except for Arnoâs dad, who remained standing. Arno knew his father liked it when people had to look up at him.
It was Tuesday night and Arno was enjoying himself, getting a little buzzed on the wine and vaguely following the gossip his parents so enjoyed exchanging. He didnât tell a lot of people about it, but he kind of got a kick out of hanging out with his parents. This was never true when they were alone, because then their relationship showed too much wear, but with other people, they put on a good show. Right then they were talking about their escapades in Florida.
âAnd when the maid caught us in the pool, in our birthday suits no less, she sang us a song! Isnât that fun?â Alec asked.
âLord, Alec. She was praying,â his wife