delaware 1:3
At the cheapest motel in the state, Jill had been on the phone for an hour at a dime a minute before it occurred to me to ask who she was talking to. A teenage girl on the phone was perhaps too normal a thing even though I'd never seen her on the phone before. Who you talking to? I asked her. She put a hand over the receiver with a look of supreme annoyance. Just a friend, she said, turning the other way. She didn't have any friends, and I pointed this out. Do you mind? she said. I minded if this was costing us money we didn't have. It's just a guy in a room across the pool. It doesn't cost anything. Oh, I said. They talked for another hour before it occurred to me to suggest they just get together and talk in person. During that interval Jack and I had attempted a swim, but had been repelled by the growth curve of the pool algae. Why don't you go over there, I said. She pointed to an invisible pimple or something on her cheek and waved me off. I couldn't really justify interrupting her, having nothing else to offer her for entertainment, nor anyone of my own to call.
move on...