one.
'Are you in town alone?' she said.
'Yes.'
'Is that because you are alone?'
'You mean do I have a person?'
'Yes.'
'I do.' I said.
'What's her name?'
'Susan,' I said.
'You married?'
'Not exactly.'
'Not exactly? What does that mean?'
'It means not exactly,' I said.
Bebe tasted her new gimlet. Quite a lot of it.
'Leaves you room to maneuver,' she said.
I saw no reason to explain Susan and me to Bebe, so I nodded.
'She pretty?'
'No,' I said. 'She's beautiful.'
'Well aren't you gallant?' She put the stress on the last syllable.
'I'm accurate.' I stressed the last syllable, too.
'Is she as beautiful and sweet as Lou Buckman?' Bebe said.
'Do I hear irony in your voice?' I said.
'Of course not,' Bebe said.
She finished her second gimlet in another big swallow. I nodded at the bartender.
'Lou is very beautiful… and very sweet.'
She looked at her empty glass and looked up at the bartender. She saw that he was putting the finishing touches on her next gimlet, and looked relieved.
'As sweet as you?' I said.
Bebe grinned. She was already a little sloshed.
'Almost,' she said.
The bartender put her third gimlet on a napkin in front of her. She picked it up promptly and drank some.
'And how sweet are you?' I said.
'Maybe you'll find out,' she said.
'Okay, so how sweet is Lou?'
Bebe giggled.
'Maybe you'll find that out, too. You wouldn't be the first.'
'I thought she was blissful in her marriage,' I said.
'Sometimes.'
Bebe had a little gimlet.
'Tell me about it,' I said.
She looked at my half glass of beer.
'You're not staying up with me,' she said.
'I started before you,' I said.
'You don't like to get drunk?' she said.
'I find it hampers me when I do.'
She giggled.
'Wouldn't want you hampered,' she said and bumped her knee against mine.
I tried to look seductive.
'Tell me about Lou and Steve.'
'Them,' she said.
