“You got it.”

Sonia threw herself at him and bit his lips.

“Oh, baby, you’re fantastic!” she said.

After a few bottles I agreed with her completely. The guy was telling me how he’d struck it rich speculating on coffee just when the prices skyrocketed.

“My telephone rang off the hook and money rolled in from all directions at once. See, you had to play it close to the chest. You had to hold off until the last minute, then sell everything at breakneck speed. At any second you could either double your money or go bust…”

I listened attentively. That kind of story fascinates me. Talking about money blocked the effects of the alcohol in this guy. All he did was burp a little loudly from time to time. I sucked on this bad-ass cigar he’d given me and kept the glasses filled. The girls’ eyes were shining.

“I’m going to tell you something,” he added. “You know that movie where the guys jump out of their cars just at the last minute before they go over the cliff? Can you imagine how they must feel?”

“Hard to imagine,” I said.

“Well, that’s what it was for me, multiplied by a hundred!”

“You jumped out at the right time?” I asked.

“Yeah, I think I jumped out at the right time. After that I collapsed and slept for three days straight.”

Sonia ran her lingers through his hair and squeezed herself against him.

“And in two days we’re taking a plane to the islands!” she cooed. “It’s my engagement present! Oh, sweetie, maybe that seems silly to you, but I’m crazy about the idea!”

Sonia looked like a ruffled bird with a sensual mouth. She laughed all the time. It kept things nice. The bottles came and went and for a little while Betty took my arm and put her head on my shoulder. I dragged on my Davidoff.

Toward the end I couldn’t listen to anybody anymore. I heard only a faint murmur. Everything seemed far away. The world was absurdly simple and I was smiling. I wasn’t waiting for anything. I was so plastered that I started laughing to myself.