She sat up in bed, leaned back against the headboard and got a cigarette going. Her breasts were droopy and didn’t look so sexy anymore and I saw she had some tines in her face and all of a sudden she looked middle-aged housewife who slept around a lot, which is what she was. After a while it occurred to her she ought to offer me a cigarette too, and I told her I didn’t use them.

“Clean liver, huh?”

“That shit can kill you,” I said, fanning her smoke out of my face. “But it’s your life, do what you want.”

“You like to play at being hard, don’t you.”

“You don’t seem to mind me hard.”

She grinned and reached a hand down and played with me but neither it nor I was having any.

So she gave up and a few seconds went by and she said, “I got some booze, you thirsty?”

I was thinking that one over when outside, sirens cut the air.

“What the hell was that?” she said.

“Sirens.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought it was. Sounded like they went by here. Something happen at the airport, you suppose?”

“Somebody had a heart attack maybe.”

“Yeah. Ambulance, then, not police.”

“Who knows.”

“Yeah. Hey, should I build us some drinks or not?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Come on.”

“Look,” I said, “this has been pleasant, but I got no desire to do a number with your husband should he come back early or something. I’ll just put my trunks on and go swimming again, okay?”

“Aw, stick around.”

“No thanks.”

“Prick.”

I shrugged and got my trunks on and slid the glass door open. I strolled out to the pool and walked over to the diving board. Up on the board I bounced and looked across the grassy field toward the airport. It was all lit up, but no more than usual, and I couldn’t make out whether there were any ambulance or cop car lights up there. Not that it mattered. I dove in. The water was cold.