feelings, Gaskell had opened a bottle of vodka and was getting drunk. To pass the time they played Scrabble.
‘My idea of hell,’ said Gaskell, ‘is to be huis closed with a couple of dykes.’
‘What’s a dyke?’ said Eva.
Gaskell stared at her. ‘You don’t know?’
‘I know the sort they have in Holland…’
‘Yoga bear,’ said Gaskell, ‘you are the naivest. A dyke is–’
‘Forget it, G’ said Sally. ‘Whose turn to play?’
‘It’s mine.’ said Eva. ‘I…M…P spells Imp.’
‘O…T…E…N…T spells Gaskell,’ said Sally.
Gaskell drank some mote vodka. ‘What the hell sort of game we supposed to be playing? Scrabble or some sort of Truth group?’
‘Your turn,’ said Sally.
Gaskell put D…I…L…D on the O. ‘Try that for size.’
Eva looked at it critically.
‘You can’t use proper names,’ she said. ‘You wouldn’t let me use Squezy.’
‘Eva teats, dildo is not a proper name. It’s an improper thing. A surrogate penis.’
‘A what?’
‘Never mind what it is,’ said Sally. ‘Your turn to play.’ Eva studied her letters. She didn’t like being told what to do so often and besides she still wanted to know what a dyke was. And a surrogate penis. In the end she put L…O…V on the E.
‘Is a many-splendoured thing,’ said Gaskell and put D…I…D on the L and O.
‘You can’t have two of them,’ said Eva. ‘You’ve got one Dildo already.’
‘This one’s different,’ said Gaskell, ‘it’s got whiskers.’
‘What difference does that make?’
‘Ask Sally. She’s the one with penis envy.’
‘You asshole,’ said Salty and put F…A…G…G…O on the T. ‘Meaning you.’
‘Like I said. Truth Scrabble,’ said Gaskell. ‘Trouble for sure. So why don’t we have an encounter group instead. Let the truth hang out like it is.’
Eva used the F to make faithful. Gaskell followed with Hooker and Sally went Insane.
‘Great.’ said Gaskell, ‘Alphabetical I Ching.’
‘Wunderkind, you slay me,’ said Sally.
‘Go Zelda yourself,’ said Gaskell and slid his hand up Eva’s thigh.
‘Keep your hands to yourself,’ said Eva and pushed him away. She put S and N on the I. Gaskell made Butch with the B.’
‘And don’t tell me it’s a proper name.’
‘Well it’s certainly not a word I’ve heard.’ said Eva.
Gaskell stared at her and then roared with laughter.
‘Now I’ve heard it all.’ he said. ‘Like cunnilingus is a cough medicine. How dumb can you get?’
‘Go look in the mirror,’ said Sally.
‘Oh sure. So I married a goddam lesbian whore who goes round stealing other people’s wives and boats and things. I’m dumb. But boobs here beats me. She’s so fucking hypocritical she pretends she’s not a dyke…’
‘I don’t know what a dyke is,’ said Eva.
‘Well let me inform you, fatso. A dyke is a lesbian,’
‘Are you calling me a lesbian?’ said Eva.
‘Yes,’ said Gaskell.
