DINNER

What they ate isn't important and there was no point in lingering over cognac. There was no point in cognac at all. So they skipped it and went out into the street and got a taxi. And they stuffed themselves into opposite corners of the back seat. There wasn't far to go.

The cab pulled up to the curb on a street lit up with yellow light like a stage. With donar sellers and junkies and rats and swarthy men in long leather coats and cheap women walking back and forth and forth and back, eating greasy food out of white greasy paper and kibitzing. Potzdammerstra§e bei Nacht.

As the cab pulled up to the curb with the two dark things in opposite corners of the back seat, the two dark things looked away from each other out the side windows. And their looks went out the windows and all the way around the planet and back in the opposite side windows. So though they looked away they still managed to lick at each other with looks by going the long way around.

Her hand lay forgotten on the back seat. Within reach. His hand reached out maybe brushed hers slightly . Yes I believe his hand did brush hers slightly. But didn't pick it up. Didn't dare.

She got out of the cab and passing through the crowd of swarthy men in long coats and cheap women and donor sellers, junkies, and rats, she disappeared into the wall. Only the cab driver saw her disappear because only he was watching. She disappeared like positive into negative, she disappeared into the wall, as if she had never been there at all.