“Having another, Miss… what’s your first name, anyway?
I hate being formal after working hours.”
She was shocked.
“And you and Mr. Laviada sign my checks every week!
It’s Ruth.”
“Ruth. Ruth.” I rolled it around the piercing bubbles, and it sounded all right.
She nodded.
“And your name is Edward, and Mr. Laviada’s is Migwell. Isn’t it?”
And she smiled at him.
“MiGELL,” he smiled back.
“An old Spanish custom.
Usually shortened to Mike.”
“If you’ll hand me another bottle,” 1 offered, “shorten Edward to Ed.”
She handed it over.
By the time we got to the fourth bottle we were as thick as bugs in a rug.
It seems that she was twenty-four, free, white, and single, and loved champagne.
“But,” she burbled fretfully, “I wish I knew what you were doing in there all hours of the day and night.
I know you’re here at night sometimes because I’ve seen your car out in front.”
Mike thought that over. “Well,” he said a little unsteadily, “we take pictures.”
He blinked one eye.
“Might even take pictures of you if we were approached properly.”
I took over. “We take pictures of models.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yes.
Models of things and people and what not.
Little ones.
We make it look like it’s real.”
I think she was a trifle disappointed.
“Well, now I know, and that makes me feel better.
I sign all those bills from Rochester and I don’t know what I’m signing for.
Except that they must be film or something.”
“That’s just what it is; film and things like that.”
“Well, it bothered me— No, there’s two more behind the fan.”
Only two more.
She had a capacity.
I asked her how she would like a vacation.
She hadn’t thought about a vacation just yet.
I told her she’d better start thinking about it.
“We’re leaving day after tomorrow for Los Angeles, Hollywood.”
“The day after tomorrow?
Why—”
I reassured her.
“You’ll get paid just the same.
But there’s no telling how long we’ll be gone, and there doesn’t seem to be much use in your sitting around here with nothing to do.”
From Mike “Let’s have that bottle,” and I handed it to him.
I went on. “You’ll get your checks just the same. If you want, we’ll pay you in advance so—”
I was getting full of champagne, and so were we all.
Mike was humming softly to himself, happy as a taco.
The blonde, Ruth, was having a little trouble with my left eye.
I knew just how she felt, because I was having a little trouble watching where she overlapped the swivel chair.