Manhattan Night Page #4

because she was only 28,

and she was very beautiful.

Might I add,

she could have been a model.

But anyway, so,

I check her hands,

and she doesn't have arthritis.

What does she have?

Nothing.

Her hands are perfectly healthy.

- But she was in pain?

- Hmm, so she claims,

but I watched her fiddle with her purse in

the waiting room when I went out to get her,

and she wouldn't have been able to do

that with what she was describing.

Plus, when people

are really in pain,

they beg me

for something stronger

than what they can buy

over the counter.

And she didn't even ask me

for anything.

So, you think she

was making it up?

I know she was.

Sounds like a nut.

She wasn't.

Well, I can't talk

about hands anymore.

I need some other parts.

Mm.

Who the hell is that?

It's no one.

Dad. Hey, dad. Is that

an old box you're repairing?

No, you know, it's, it's a different kind.

One of these brand new ones.

Dad, how long you been

in the elevator repair union?

Yeah. When you left

south Dakota to track down...

Simon?

Jesus, f***, Simon.

Simon, wake up.

Sh*t. F***, Simon.

Oh, my god.

Oh, f***.

9-1-1.

What's your emergency?

Yeah, I need an ambulance.

My husband has overdosed

on some sleeping pills.

Uh, uh, yeah, that's 411 east

third street, apartment 12.

Uh, please hurry. No.

No, uh, I can't tell if

he's breathing or not.

F***. Just send an ambulance.

Jesus, Simon.

F***. Wake up.

Simon?

Simon? Come on.

- Got you!

- Oh! F***!

- I can't believe you came!

- The f*** is wrong with you?

Holy sh*t.

- You were amazing.

- That is not funny.

- What are you doing?!

- This guy's f***ed up.

- What are you f***ing doing?

- That was incredible.

I actually called

the f***ing ambulance.

- A**hole.

- Baby? That was...

I'm making you a little drink.

Easy on the roofies.

You supposedly working

on your column right now?

- Column's done.

- Is it noteworthy?

Only for the fact that it might

be my most rushed one yet.

Cop shot at home with

his own gun,

by his 12-year-old daughter.

Accident, of course.

They deserve better

than the time I gave them.

Think I better tell you

I have an agenda here.

I have an agenda, too.

Maybe we can

save 'em both for later.

God, I'm so going to hell.

Tell me why

you have sex with me.

No.

Tell me how it's different

than with your wife.

No.

Your wife is attractive, right?

I bet you know

the answer to that.

I bet I do.

- Did you go?

- Yes.

- To her office?

- Yes.

Why?

I was curious.

She knew you were lying.

- Yeah, I guess.

- It's not funny.

That was an incredibly

f***ed-up thing to do.

I'm sorry.

- I didn't mean it like that.

- Well...

She's smart, Caroline.

She's very, very smart.

Smarter than me?

Yes.

How do you know?

Because nobody's

is smarter than my wife.

Trust me. Believe me.

Never make contact

with her again.

Ever. You understand?

Hmm?

Yes. I understand.

Okay.

I'm going to ask you

a question now.

All right.

Is she good in bed?

Absolutely.

She loves you, and you love her?

Yes, very much. Yes.

Then how is it different?

Unless you have children, it's

hard to understand, I think.

Try me.

After you have children,

death kinda gets into it.

You know?

Somehow you become aware

you're going to die.

I didn't get that

before I had kids.

What happens if

one of my kids dies?

Anyway, it all sort of

gets into the sex.

It's complicated.

Have you been with her

since our last time?

Yes, last night.

Did you think of me

when you were with her?

Yes.

I mean think of me

not just 'cause you felt guilty.

- Yeah.

- I mean, you were f***ing her,

but actually thinking

about f***ing me.

Yes.

Do you look down at your wife when

you're f***ing her and think,

"I'm going to be

with you until I die"?

Yes.

How do you feel about that?

It's both comforting and

terrifying at the same time.

Do you love me?

Ever since the first moment

I saw you.

What are you thinking about?

Trying to decide

if it's better to...

Snoop around your apartment

while you're not here...

Or ask you point-blank

where it is.

Where what is?

Hobbs expects me to deliver a video

he believes you're sending him.

Oh, f***.

- What?

- Oh, god, I don't f***ing believe this.

- Jesus Christ.

- What?

I wanted you to find

that video for me.

What?

I've been through my whole

apartment, my computer.

They watch me everywhere. They've been

threatening me with all kinds of things.

I don't have much time and I wanted

you to help me find that video.

Wait, you know

what's on that video?

I've never watched it, but I was

there for the taping, yes.

All right, come on,

don't bullshit me.

If you're not the one sending that

video to Hobbs, then who is, hmm?

I don't know. I was hoping you

could find that out, too.

Okay. Well, maybe you want to share

with me what the f*** is going on.

It's not good. Okay, you

have to understand that

Simon was always testing me. I became

like a science experiment for him.

I'm willing to do

anything you ask,

as long as it doesn't

involve hurting someone,

if you are willing to do

anything I ask.

F*** you, Si.

I can keep up with you.

- You can?

- Mm-hmm.

So you accept the challenge?

Yeah.

So what do you want me to do?

I want you to be holding the hand

of someone just as they die.

Challenge accepted.

I want you to have sex...

With someone most unexpected.

Challenge accepted.

I'm gonna need proof.

Hmm.

If you're really going to play this

kind of game, it gets really...

Interesting. It gets, um,

gets exciting, sort of.

I don't know.

Maybe I'm not explaining it.

What?

So, he set off with his camera

to be with somebody

when they died in the

hospital or something,

and then I set off with mine

to have sex with someone

- "most unexpected."

- Meaning?

Meaning like a cab driver

or a woman wouldn't do,

because that's too

predictable for Simon.

You know, I always

had to push back.

Simon had a way of making me

want to show him everything,

just to... just to see

if it was enough.

I sat down in the lobby

to think.

I could go to the mayor's

place, Gracie mansion.

I thought of trying to get

to one of the Yankees.

And then in walked Hobbs.

I thought I recognized him from the

CNN report of his last mega-buyout,

merger, whatever,

but I wasn't sure.

The bellhop confirmed he was the

billionaire media mogul Hobbs,

and, 1,000 bucks later,

he gave me his room number.

And you taped the whole thing.

Yeah, it was easy. I just had my

camera peeking out from the purse

that I left on the table.

The next morning,

Simon tears into my purse,

and he took the flash drive,

and he never let me see it.

And he never kept his end

of the bargain up, either.

And I f***ing hated him for that. I

took a shower for, like, three hours

and I promised myself I would never care

what Simon thought about me ever again.

And then he saw the video and he

freaked out, and we had a big fight.

And after he died,

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