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In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

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After a quick, packed metro ride they he bought the tickets at<br />

the window in the base of the mirrored building, for the next evening.<br />

Later as they dipped into their dessert of banana au gratin with<br />

hazelnut and praline zabaglione cream, Dick called.<br />

Cause for celebration! Ula was <strong>com</strong>ing home in the morning,<br />

she was okay but depressed. Dick was nagging Sandro about his face,<br />

she could tell. He must have said something new because Sandro yelled<br />

a string of French obscenities into the phone and hung up, then left the<br />

table to brood in the window as traffic circled the obelisk and the smell<br />

of bananas filled the suite.<br />

"Why don't you just forget about it and finish your fancy<br />

banana split?"<br />

He snorted in disgust, at everything, not just the bananas.<br />

The steward knocked and slunk in. She had no money for a tip<br />

and Sandro hadn't budged, his clenched jaw muscles all she could see.<br />

The waiter shook his head and left discreetly with the cart and the<br />

dishes of mush.<br />

Penny shut the light and sat at the edge of the bed, waiting for<br />

him to make the next move, but he just stood there grinding his teeth<br />

and brooding in the splash of the carnival lights outside, so she came<br />

up to him silently and unzipped him and dropped to her knees. He was<br />

surprised but took her head in his hands and fell back into the drapes<br />

with a sigh, then swept her up in his arms onto the bed where they<br />

rolled together "like crazy bonobos after too many oysters," he joked.<br />

Dick's words must have been cycling around in his sleepless<br />

mind, for when she woke around dawn and looked over and saw him<br />

feel his crushed nose and sweep his fingers over the mangled eyebrow<br />

down to the zigzag scar over his zygomatic. He felt her stirring beside<br />

him, and as if he'd been waiting for hours to ask her, he turned to her.<br />

"How can you love a man with half a face?"<br />

"You don't have half a face, you have two eyes. You're just<br />

more rugged now," she said, yawning.<br />

"Okay, you are so sweet."<br />

He didn't believe a word of it. Even with half a face, he was still<br />

the vainest guy she'd ever met. "My biggest idol had only half a face.<br />

Iannis Xenakis, you know, Polytopes. We're going to a concert of his<br />

music tomorrow."<br />

"The concert tomorrow? Oh, yes! Dick has the book. I will get<br />

it. And what happened to your idol?"<br />

"During World War Two, fighting in the Greek resistance, he<br />

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