For
human society.
The phone in his hand rang. It was the woman.
"You know, I'm thinking that maybe I should come back in with a tape
measure and measure up the sofa before I commit to it. It's a lot of
money, and to be honest, I just don't know if I have room --"
"What if I measure it for you? I could measure it for you and call you
back with the numbers." The three brothers stared at him with identical
glassy, alien stares.
"That's okay. I can come in," and he knew that she meant, *I won't ever
come in again.*
"What if I bring it by anyway? I could bring it by tomorrow night and
you could see it and make up your mind. No obligation."
"That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid that I'll be out tomorrow
evening --"
"Friday? I could come by Friday --" He was trying to remember how to
flirt now, but he couldn't. "I could come by and we could have a glass
of wine or something," and he knew he'd said the exact wrong thing.
"It's all right," she said coldly. "I'll come by later in the week to
have another look.
"I have to go now, my husband is home," and he was pretty sure she
wasn't married, but he said good bye and hung up the phone.
He looked at his solemn brothers now and they looked at him.
"When are you going home?" he said, and Edward looked satisfied and Fred
looked a little disappointed and George looked like he wanted to throw
himself in front of a subway, and his bottom lip began to tremble.
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