dark and that she appeared to be in her mid twenties. “But I’m afraid it’s really not very good.” She brushed away the eraser crumbs with the edge of her hand.
“It’s tough when your models won’t sit still.”
She was working on the children again and didn’t respond right away.
“I’m not sure that it would make any difference if they were still as statues,” she said, not looking up. “I’ve always had trouble with legs-bar human legs, that is. Children always give me fits, dam their pudgy little knees,” Jake chuckled. “I have a solution. I’ll go down the street and buy long pants for all these kids.”
“Including the girls?”
“Sure,” said Jake. “I’ll explain that they’re required to wear trousers in the service of creating great art.”
She gave a short laugh. “I’m sure they’ll be persuaded by that argument.”
“They will be when I give each one a dollar.”
She turned her head and looked at him. “Bribery is very effective in Hong Kong,” she said with a quick smile. Her white teeth contrasted with her tanned skin. and her complexion was clear except for a small dark brown mole on her left temple. She wore no make-up that Jake could detect.
“I don’t know much about Hong Kong,” he said wishing that he had shaved.
She didn’t take up his remark but held a pencil to he and studied her sketch. Waiting for a reply, examined the children in the drawing-they floated above the sidewalk, unconcerned that they had no legs. Finally Jake said, “Ever try taking photographs?”
“No,” she said, not looking up.
“I meant that you could take pictures of the kids and work on your sketch at home. You could even trace the legs to get the hang of it.”
Jake moved closer to her and squatted down with his forearms on his knees. “Hey, I don’t know anything about art. Paintings, drawings, what do I know about it? If I made a dumb suggestion just’ “Do you always run around in the rain in your shorts?” she said, regarding him with raised eyebrows. “Maybe you should go down the street and buy long pants.” There was a hint of a smile. “I’ll give you a dollar if you do.”
Jake grinned. “American dollar or Hong Kong? While I’m at it, I’ll buy you a camera.”
“Touched,” she said. She swiveled on her stool to face him, and smoothed her jeans as if she were wearing a skirt. “You’re in the service, aren’t you,” she said, stating it as a fact.
Jake was surprised. “How’d you know?”
“Your haircut. It’s easy to spot a military man. But your T-shirt threw me off. Are you really a member of the Jersey City Athletic Club?”
“No, I stole this T-shirt from a guy named Cowboy Parker. He stole it from a guy named Little Augie. It’s only mine until someone steals it from me.”
“‘Cowboy,” ‘Little Augie’-which service are we talking about?”
“Navy. I’m a pilot.”
“A carrier pilot? Do you fly over Vietnam?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Why unfortunately?”
“It’s a lousy business.”
“Then why do you do it?”
jake looked down. “You wear the uniform, you take the pay, you fly where they tell you.”
“That’s not very illuminating,” she said. “So you’ here on leave. How long will you be in Hong Kong?
“Just a few days. I have to leave Monday morning. With a groan, Jake stood up slowly. “I’m a little stiff.
“You must be chilled to the bone,” she said. “Better get something hot in you.”
“Aren’t you chilly too?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. I think I’ve had enough sitting and this weather.” She turned from Jake an gathered her pencils and sketchbook into a large floppy leather bag. From a side pocket she yanked out a bundled-up khaki raincoat.
Jake put his hands under his armpits for warmth “What would you say to getting something hot to drink? Coffee, tea, or whatever. I think we both need it.”
“I think you need it more than I do,” she said grinning. She bent over her stool. “Sorry. I have a date to go shopping this morning with a friend.”
She pushed a catch on the stool, and the seat flipped vertical. “I’m meeting her at ten.” Gathering the legs together, she fitted the stool into her bag.
“Amazing,” Jake said. “That’s some gadget. Any chance we can get together later? For lunch or dinner I’d like to get to know you better.”
She stood facing him now, with her arms crossed in front of her.
“Well, you’re off to a rocky start, I’m afraid. It seems that I’ve been asking most of the questions. I know something about you, but you don’t know anything about me.”
“You didn’t ask my name,” he said.
“Got me there. What is it?”
“Jake. Jake Grafton.”
“Hello, Jake.” She began unfolding her raincoat. “It was nice talking to you.”
Without forethought he put his hand lightly on her left shoulder. Her shoulder fit in the palm of his hand; he felt the smallness of her bones and the warmth of her body through the sweater. She took a step away from him.
Jake said, “Hey, that was a bum rap you laid on me. I guess I’m not the kind of guy who naturally asks a lot of questions.” She started putting on her raincoat. He didn’t want her to leave. “I really would like to know you better. It would help if I knew your name.”
She took a deep breath. “Callie.”
“Callie?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Last name?”
“McKenzie.” Jake nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Well,” she said, “don’t you think Callie is an unusual name?”
“I’ve never heard it before.”
“Don’t you want to know how I got it?”
“I’ll bite. How’d you get it?”
“I’m glad you asked something,” said Callie. “When I was little, my brother, who was just a tot, had trouble saying my name, which is Carolyn. So Theron-my brother called me Callie. It was easier for him to say. Jake smiled. “Theron?”
“Yes, Theron,” she said. “By the way, let me tell you the fascinating story behind my brother’s name.”
“Uh oh.”
“When my brother was a little boy his younger sister-when she was just a tot-had trouble saying his given name, which was-uh-Aloysius. So … She began laughing. Jake joined her. They stood facing each other as pedestrians moved around them.
“Really,” said Jake, “how’d your brother get that name? How do you spell it?”
Callie spelled it out for him. “My father got it out of a book he was reading when my mother was pregnant.
“I think that he … Jake! You’re shivering.” She touched his chest, near his heart. “No wonder, your shirt is soaked. You’d better get back where you can put on dry clothes. Where’re you staying?”
“The Peninsula Hotel.”
“Oh, the Peninsula. It’s a wonderful hotel. Absolutely first class. Do you like it?”
“Yeah, but it’s expensive. I guess you get what you pay for.” “You do at the Peninsula. I had a room there for a few days when I first came to Hong Kong, before I moved into an apartment. I enjoyed it so much that I was reluctant to leave. But I got a nice place only a couple of minutes from where I work.”
Callie lifted her straw hat and brushed her hair back with her hand.
Her hair was curly and reached to her shoulders; it was dark brown, but her eyes were darker and shone like black marbles.
