Part 6 (1/2)
I follow him over and they make room for me to sit downA round of boisterous introductions ensue in whichI am compelledtoshakeevery clammy handatthetable
”Howdoyouknowour boy, here?” onehatasks
”'Causewe all gowayback?
”Back in the day” They bob their heads like chickens, repeating ”back in the day” about a thousand tihis headto?”
”Work!”Theearsof a hatprickup ”Where doyouwork?”
”Are youinananalyst program?”
”No?
”Are you amodel?”
”No,I'uysays,punching H H ontheshoulder
”Dude,younever toldusyouknew ananneehhh”
I realize frolazed smiles that they've just cast me in every nanny-themed porn film ever screenedintheirfrathousebaseins, ”isthedadhot?”
”Hashehitonyou?”
”Urn,noI haven't met himyet”
”Is theMomhot?” anotheroneasks
”Well, I don't thinkso?
”Whataboutthekid?Isthekidhot?Hasheever made apass atyou?”They all speakatonce
”Well, he's four,so?Thereis a hardnesstotheirtonethatdispels anyillusionofgood-naturedfunI turn to the gentlehtdeeply with his brown eyes downcast
”Are anyofthedads hot?”
”Right If you'll excuseme?I standup
”Co to tell us you never fucked any of the dads?” My last nervesnaps
”How original of you You want to knoho the dads are? They're you in about twothe nanny They're not fucking their wives They're not fucking anyone Because they get fat, they go bald, they lose their appetites and drink, a lot, because they have to, not because they want to So enjoy yourselves, boyz 'Cause back in the day is gonna be lookin' real good Now pleasedon't get up”MyheartpoundsasI pullon,andwalkout thedoor
”Hey,holdon!” H H catchesup to for hin of terror was their last request ”Look, they didn'tbythat”Whichhedoesn't
”Oh”I nodathiirl likethat?Or justtheonesorkintheirbuildings?”
He crosses his bare arainst the cold ”Look, they're just friends frooutwith the out ”Shameonyou”
Hestammers, ”They're justreallydrunk?
”NoThey're justreallyassholes”
We stareateachother andI waitforhi, buthesee day” I' painfromtheburnonmyhand
I forcereatsuccess Thankyousomuchforyourhelp
Theseshoes reallyare toomuch forme and MrX doesn careforthecolor Ifthey eyour sizeyou ewelcome tothem, otherwisepleasetakethemtoEncoreresaleshoponMadisonand84th I haveanaccount
By the way, have you seen the Lalique fra on Mr X desk? The one with thepictureofGrayerwithhisfatherfro Canyoucallthecaterers andseeiftheytookithoatBliss, somyphonewill beofffortherestof theafternoon
PRADA! P-R-A-D-A As in Madonna As in Vogue As in, watch olf-playing, Wall Street Jou, Howard Stern?worshi+ping,white-hat-backward-sporting,arrogantjerk-offs!
Nana also troubled Mr Darling in another way He had so that she did not adht ofthe Bankin ea Afterpickingupsomesmall pumpkins todecorateonthewayhome fromschool,Grayer andIreturnto the apartn an invoice for over four thousand dollars Grayer and I follow in awe as a deliveryh the kitchen and deposits them in the front hall After lunch, we play Guess What's in the Crate Grayer guesses a dog, a gorilla, a uess antiques, newbathroohI keepthatonetomyself)
I leave Grayer in the capable hands of his piano teacher at four-fifteen and return, as instructed, at five o'clock I'rown-up for the Halloween party at Mr X's office in my new leather pants and secondhand Prada shoes I let myself in, only to co topryoneopenwith a butcherknifeand a toiletplunger
”Do you wantht have a crowbar”
”Oh,myGod,couldyou?” shepantsup froointothekitchenandbuzzthesuperontheintercom,whopromises tosendup thehandyman
”He's onhis way So,urn,what'sinthere?”
Shehuffsandpuffsassheworksatthecrate, ”I had gh?replicasofMufasaandSarabicostu unh ustoh”