“On second thought,” she said, “I decided to come along for the ride.”

I slipped my arm around her shoulder and pulled away slowly, trying to make the pleasure last. She handed me a stick of mint chewing gum, throwing the wrappers on the floor. She squeezed herself against me the whole way. I didn’t need a fortune-teller to see how terrific it all was.

First we got rid of the laundry and then I went across the street with the shopping list. The guy at the store was busy pasting labels all over the place, so I just slid the paper in his pocket.

“Take your time,” I said. “I’ll come back later. Don’t forget my bottle.”

He stood up too fast and smashed his head into a shelf. He made a face-he was ugly enough without it.

“We said a bottle every other week, not every week,” he said.

“Right, but it turns out I had to take on an associate. That changes things.”

“What are you talking about?”‘

“Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t change anything between you and me. I’ll keep doing my shopping here as long as you show some smarts.”

“Jesus, one every week, though. That’s a little-”

“Things are tough all over.”

Just then he noticed Betty in her little tank top waiting for me out in the truck, her crazy earrings twinkling in the light. He played around for a second with the lump on his skull, then shook his head.

“I know things are tough all over, but I think some bastards make out better than others.”

I didn`t think I was in a good position to argue. I left him standing in the middle of his boxes and went back out to the car.

“Okay, well, we have a little time,” I said. “How would you feel about some ice cream?”

“Jesus, Mary, and joseph, I’m with you!”

I knew the old lady at the ice cream place pretty well. I was one of her best customers in the liquor-topped-sundae department. She usually left the bottle on the counter. I made conversation with her. I waved when we came in. Betty sat at a table and I went up to order.