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"And? And have you been doing that? I mean, did they ?"
"What, force me?"
"Jesus yes, I guess."
"No."
"Thank you, God. You're sure?"
"Not one hundred percent, but yeah I think so, no."
"Wai, wait they didn't touch you or not?
"Touch, maybe."
"They "
"I said, 'maybe.' I was blacked out, remember? They might've touched me a little when I was down or something — my clothes were definitely off — but I'm almost fully certain they didn't do the other."
"'Almost' isn't, like, the most reassuring word right now "
"Well, they didn't. I don't think."
"You think."
"No, I don't think it might just be sore from walking around exposition hall, everything's so far there,  you know or when I fell, maybe. Something. But not that "
"All right."
"We can scoot up Barker, if you want. Do we have milk?"
"Yes, I this is unbelievable!"
"You don't believe me now?"
"No, I'm saying 'it,' the episode itself, that's unbelievable. Not you."
"Oh, I thought you meant me "
"No. You want me to stop at the 7-Eleven?"
"Not if we have milk."
"We do."
"All right then. Fine."
"I had to tell you I did."
"No, it's "
"I mean, once we started I just wanted to get it all out. The whole thing. Purge myself of it, you know?"
"Right."
"Put it behind us."
"Okay."
"So there it's out, and we can move on."
"Yep. At least until they call us "
"Who?"
"The authorities. If they find out anything, you know, leads or whatever "
"Oh, them. I see. I thought you meant "
"What?"
"Nothing. The men I thought you were saying if they called us."
"You mean the two ?"
"Yes, I misunderstood. I thought you were implying that all of them might call or something."
"There's that 'all' thing again"
"Forgive me. I mean 'two.' If the 'two' of them were to call."
"Why would they do that?"
"No, they wouldn't, I just "
"Who in hell would be stupid enough to "
"No one. This is a four-way stop. They're waiting for you "
"Sorry. I'm not did they take your purse or something, your I.D.? How would they contact us?"
"They wouldn't. I don't imagine "
"You didn't did you give them a card downstairs? In the lobby, I'm saying. One of your "
"I may have. Yes."
"Oh, God "
"It's possible I should never drink."
"'Drink? What do you mean, 'drink?' You didn't no "
"And it may not technically have been the lobby I mean, per se."
"No?"
"I guess it might be seen as more of a lobby-slash-lounge "
"Oh. 'Lounge,' huh? You went into the "
"I suppose 'bar' would be more correct than 'lounge.' It was their bar."
"The bar. A hotel bar."
"I just shouldn't drink. That's the thing "
"I know that. I've told you that "
"Really, I shouldn't. Wine cooler, anything, just makes me "
"But you did. After everything we've been through, you did didn't you?"
"What, drink? Umm yeah, yes, I did. Have one. Drink."
"You drank"
" yes. You know, it's not easy with those long seminars, you don't know anyone"
"Honey"
" you're tired, you try to blow off a little steam, just have one beer, and then "
"Just tell me "
" you say 'hi there' to someone, it's only 'hi,' a face you've seen in a brainstorming session, no big deal, you think, they're from Kentucky or someplace, a 'Jim' or 'Tim' written in below  'Hello!' You get to feeling familiar and out comes the old business card. You know? It's a reflex, that's all "
"Sweetheart "
"It's not a come-on, it's not. You don't even find them interesting, not really. Because they all have the same story in the end. Wife, three kids, want a divorce — they're almost separated, really, living in town during the week but waiting it out until the children are old enough to — you just listen to see if you can pick out the little flourishes they've added to the story, like a joke they heard somewhere and embellished a bit"
"So the police aren't really looking for anybody, then? Is that what you're trying to tell me here? Honey?"
"Ummm I don't think so, no. "
"Since you'd have to call them first, right? And you didn't do that, did you?"
"Not specifically no. "
"I see. And that would be because "
"Their faces, in the hallway there, with the light behind them it was dark."
" that would be because you invited them upstairs. Maybe. You got drunk and you were talking to some guys — both or two or all — and you asked them up to your room. Up there to be with you "
"I did black out "
"Oh."
"I mean, at some point during "
"When they first came in, like you said, or ?"
"I don't know. Just at some point along the way."
"Huh."
"You know I shouldn't have liquor "
"Yes. I do know, yes."
"Right?"
"Since college I've known that, yeah "
"We can jump on the freeway right up here. We're probably past the clog, now."
"All right "
"If not, we can get back off at Meyer and cut across town "
"Fine. And soI'm sorry, and so the soreness is from from you "
"Yes. From that."
"I see."
"It's quite sore, actually "
"Hmm."
"Sorry. I didn't want to tell you. I didn't. But when you looked at me "
"I was just picking up your bag and I saw something. Sorry."
"I felt like I couldn't hide it "
"Something in your eyes there, even with the tinted lenses on, I caught a thing in your eyes as I scooped up the Samsonite. So I asked you."
"You did."
"I was scared, the way you looked at me I said I wouldn't yell if you'd just tell me. Tell me about it."
"And I have."
"And now you have yes. You have."
"Well I'm glad we had this little talk, actually."
"Yeah?"
"I am, yes. You can never hide a thing like that away, I mean, not really."
"No."
"Better to just I thought the story of them breaking in or whatever might be easier, ease you into it or something, but in the end, it's better to just you know."
"Right. Sure."
"So now it's out there. We can deal with it, right?"
"Absolutely."
"Good."
"And we can start fresh "
"Uh-huh."
"I mean, start again, from here. Clean the slate and this lane ends in, like, a block or so."
"Honey?"
"Careful."
"Honey I know you probably don't want to you might not like to "
"I'm a little tired, actually."
" but I just need to know this 'all' thing, the way you kept flirting with that word and then jumping back to 'both' or 'two' "
" yes."
"Was it two? Or, like, more?"
"I'm really pooped. Can we ?"
"I just need to it was just two guys, right? You got blitzed and these two guys followed you up to your it wasn't like, you know, some kind of, I mean, not like that Navy thing or whatever, Tailhook. Right? It wasn't that, right?"
" it was really dark."
"Right, but I'm saying, you didn't "
"Darkish, anyway."
" I can deal with this, I can. I just need some you don't really mean 'all' like in the actual 'all,' do you? Like more than two?"
" I 'm just gonna lay my head down for a minute, okay?"
"Sweetie, just stick with me for a I understand it was hard to tell me and all, and I kept pushing you, I know that, but it was just those two, correct? Both of them, these Kentucky guys, right? You didn't invite up no. You weren't up there with a bunch of, not like a whole group of just tell me that. That's all I wanna hear. That you didn't have some line running out your door there, that's what I need to honey? Tell me. Tell me that and we can be sweetheart, please, I need to you didn't, did you? No, you didn't. I know you wouldn't do that again. Right? You would not honey? Angel?
" this lane ends. You'll need to merge."
"Angel? Tell me. Just tell me that. Please."
" you gotta merge "
"Please. I need to please "
" merge "
©2002
Neil Labute and Nerve.com
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