Fiction Fix Sixteen

Edward Hagelstein
“Divorce?”
“I’m against it,” Paloma says. “I’m waiting for him to die. I want him to be gone while
I can still enjoy it. He’s dragging his heels.”
“I suppose the thing with young Hannah could make you mad enough…”
“It’s not just the young girls,” Paloma says. “It’s everything. He’s a turd.”
“But wishing him dead?”
“It’s not so much a wish as a foregone conclusion. All the factors are there.” She ticks
off Hunter’s bad habits on her fingers. “He smokes, drinks too much, drinks and drives,
doesn’t exercise, lives on steak and hamburgers. Why should I care if he doesn’t?”
Miles concentrates on her slender fingers. “You’d do well in a divorce. It might be
quicker, too.”
“I don’t care about the money. That’s my secret,” she says. “I can make money.”
“That’s refreshing.”
“So what kind of car am I getting?”
“I’m having them bring an Outback up. Not the top-of-the-line, somewhere in the
middle,” he says. “Nicely accessorized. Good mileage. You’ll want to drive it first, to be sure.”
“I’m going to love it.”
“It’s blue – deep indigo pearl.”
“Sounds divine,” she says. “When’s your next show?”
“Friday,” Miles says. “It’s our last weekend.”
“I’m coming to every show. I’m going to really pay attention to your acting. I’ve been
watching you for years, but peripherally, not as the main topic of interest.”
Miles ponders this.
“And after the final show, I’d like us to go out to dinner, and if you ply me with
enough Pinot Noir, I want to come back to your place and see how you live.”
“It’s a divorced man’s apartment. It’s not pretty.”
“I understand you’re kind of straight-laced and moral these days, but maybe you’ll
loosen up a little for me.”
“You’re not joking, are you?” Miles asks.
“I’m not joking,” Paloma says.
Miles eases his chair even further back and watches her as his office-mate returns
with the keys to Paloma’s new car.
Miles nods at Paloma, and the already smitten salesman hands the keys to her with
a flourish and a grin.
Paloma stands with the keys in her elegant hand and smiles widely at Miles. “Let’s
take a test drive,” she says.
Miles and the salesman look at each other. After a moment, Miles gets up and follows
Paloma outside into the parking lot.
Fiction Fix 85