In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

with a bit of a sneer. Not real nice, but it was all part of the act.
Penny flopped on the couch. The drapes disappeared in the
penumbra of the high ceiling on either side of the slash of day outside
the window. Such revelations.
again. She had fallen asleep on the curvy sofa but with normal sleep.
Activity murmured out on the street. More sleep. The street was quiet,
it was nine. He hadn't called. Should she? She woke the laptop. His lips
filled the screen.
The door opened and he stumbled in, reeking of whiskey.
Turned on the light. Threw a bunch of shopping bags on the armchair,
saw the screen.
"What is that?"
"Oops."
He walked over to it, crashing into another armchair on the
way. She got up, pressing normal view, to the stage shot.
"Where did you find that?"
"In this CD of Ng's."
He looked at her gently, "How are you?"
"Fine, no problems, slept pretty much all night and all day, and
you?"
He collapsed on her, wrapped his arms around her and
muttered in her ear, "Drunk. With Pete at the café. He is on the lam."
"What for?"
"Dunno, the arm, I think."
"Perjury?"
"Penelope."
She kissed his whiskey sticky lips.
"I did not call you, I wanted you to sleep. You need rest, that is
all. I got you some things. It is your birthday soon, yes? Saw on your
passport, eighteen is important. Tonight is New Year. Would have
come back sooner. Pete has done research. He knows things about me
and Dick. I had to stay."
He saw the new cell phone on the bed, picked it up, said, "Yes,
the phone so we can always be in contact, except underground, of
course."
He ran his hand through his hair, felt his jaw. "I wash my face,
Cold water, then I must shave, so we take Reveillon. Le Saint Sylvestre.
Homard et truffes."
"Reveillon?"
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