Part 33 (1/2)
”But we weren't, were we? Your words, which broke my heart, are burned in my memory: 'I'm sure you're a very nice fellow, but I'm just not interested. Okay?' I cried myself to sleep that night.”
She shook her head in amazed disbelief.
”I'll tell you what I'm going to do, Susan, since I am a Boy Scout and we are sworn not to lie to girls' mothers. You call your mother, and tell her we're going to have dinner in town. That way, I don't have to lie to your mommy, or eat alone.”
”I meant it when I said I'm just not interested,” Susan said. ”There's somebody else.”
And would his name, perchance, be on the FBI's Most Wanted List?
”Really?”
”You're not making this easy for me, are you?”
”Well, my my father's lawyer didn't call father's lawyer didn't call your your father, demanding to know what father, demanding to know what you you had done with the family virgin.” had done with the family virgin.”
”I'm sorry about that, I really am.”
”You can't imagine how humiliating that was, to walk into my home and have my mommy and daddy waiting for me, wringing their hands, looking at me with sad eyes, to ask what terrible things I had done with your your daddy's precious baby. That p.i.s.sed me off, just a smidgen.” daddy's precious baby. That p.i.s.sed me off, just a smidgen.”
”I said I was sorry.”
”Tell me about 'someone else.' ”
”You don't know him.”
I hope to rectify that situation in the very near future.
”That's what this whole thing was all about,” Susan went on. ”My parents don't like him, can't stand him.”
I can't imagine why not. What is this bulls.h.i.+t, anyway?
”And he didn't want me to go to Daffy's party,” Susan said, and met Matt's eyes. ”And we fought about that. So he came to Philadelphia, and when I left the party he was waiting for me in the lobby of the Bellvue. And we went to my room. And had a fight. And made up. And I didn't call my mother, the way she expected me to, and when she called the hotel-I knew it had to be her, who else would call me at half past two?-she was the last person in the world I wanted to talk to-how could I, with him there?-so I didn't answer the phone. And that started everything else that happened. Mother called Daffy-”
”You were in your room the whole time?”
”Yes.”
”With Whatsisname?”
”Yes.”
”What's Whatsisname's name?”
”None of your business, is it, really?”
Christ, Wohl was right. These people are dangerous. She looked me right in the eye and lied through her teeth. Or is that indicative of anything more significant-that, as a general rule, females are good liars?
”Just curious, is all. I thought maybe if we became pals, I could learn something from him.”
”Like what?”
”Man stuff,” Matt said. ”I mean, what the h.e.l.l, I struck out with you in about twenty seconds flat, and this guy, well, he really captured the fair maiden's heart, didn't he? Right up to the room, spend the night. You didn't even want to talk to Mommy.”
”Daffy said you could be a p.r.i.c.k,” Susan said.
”Guilty. But just to prove Daffy wrong one more time, I'll call your mother and tell her something's come up, and I won't be able to come to dinner after all.”
She looked at him a long moment.
”You don't know my mother. She's determined to meet you. If you don't come tonight, she'll ask about tomorrow night, and the night after that. And if that doesn't work, she'll come to Philadelphia after you.”
”Well, that's understandable. I am a very eligible bachelor. There is a long list of mothers with family virgins they're trying to get rid of after me. She'd have to take a number and wait in line.”
”You son of a b.i.t.c.h, you're unbelievable,” Susan said, and laughed. ”Will you?”
”Will I what?”
”Be a good guy. Go along with we were out late listening to Dixieland. I'd really appreciate it.”
”How much? What's in it for me?”
”What's that supposed to mean?”
”Well,” Matt said, and he heard Jason Was.h.i.+ngton's melodious voice in his mind, ”if I do this for you, it would seem only fair that you take pity on a lonely boy banished to the provinces far from home and loved ones and have dinner with me. A couple of times. Several times. I really hate to eat alone.”
”You're serious?”
”I'm always serious.”
”But I don't like you.”
”Then why did you stay out until the wee hours with me? Or didn't you?”
”I don't want to get involved with you. You understand that?”
”Women have been known, I'm told, to change their minds.”
”This one won't.”
”Time will tell. Your choice, Susan.”
”You like having something to hold over me, don't you?”
”Truth to tell, I find it interesting.”
”Okay,” Susan said. ”If you get your kicks from something like this, okay. So long as it's clearly understood we're talking about dinner. Period.”
”Meaning what?”
”I'm not going to bed with you.”