Page 9 of The Castaways
“Mortified. You’re a grown woman. You’re my wife.”
“So?”
“You have no idea how to behave. No sense of decorum.”
“Decorum?”
“It was disgusting. Three beers at lunch and a shot of tequila?”
She didn’t realize he’d seen the shot of tequila, but yes, Greg had shanghaied her on the way back from the ladies’ room and they’d each thrown back a shot of Patron silver, quick and neat.
“I can’t stand this,” she said.
“What?”
“Beingmonitoredlike this. Being lectured ondecorum. We’re on vacation, Jeffrey. We’re inLas Vegas.”
“That’s no excuse.”
She stood up, unsteadily, and climbed out of the tub.
“Fuck you,” she said, though she meant the opposite. There would be no wild sex. She stepped into the shower. When she emerged, Jeffrey was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in his navy suit, looking somber and morose, like a funeral director.
“I want an apology,” he said.
“Apology?” Delilah said. “Ha! I’m the one who deserves an apology.”
“And why is that?” He turned his head stiffly, like a ventriloquist’s dummy.
“Because you’re acting like my father,” she said. She pulled a dress on over her head. Phoebe would have something new for tonight, a thought that was both demoralizing and infuriating. Phoebe had worn a new dress every night of the trip so far. “And don’t forget, I ran away from my father.”
“Meaning what?” Jeffrey said.
“Meaning what do you think?” Delilah said. She foraged through her suitcase for her other black slingback. There was a knock at the door.
It was Tess, fresh-faced and grinning like a Girl Scout.
“Ready?” she said.
Still, they were happy at dinner. Le Cirque was as glamorous a place as Delilah had ever eaten in, and she was relaxed knowing that Addison would take the bill. He ordered two bottles of Cristal. Delilah’s spirits rose. Greg was to her left, Jeffrey to her right, and Andrea on Jeffrey’s other side. Tess was next to Greg, Addison between Tess and Phoebe, the Chief between Phoebe and Andrea. The vacation had them breaking up into small groups, it had them rearranging and forging unusual allies, but when they sat down for a meal together, they always sat like this.
It was curious.
The champagne came and Phoebe, assuming the role of first lady (because Addison was paying for dinner or because she had organized the trip, Delilah wasn’t sure), wanted to make a toast.
“To us,” she said. “The Castaways.”
“The Castaways!” everyone said. Glasses clinked, none crossing! (Phoebe swore it was bad luck.) Delilah sipped her Cristal. She was normally counted on to get the conversation rolling, but tonight she wouldn’t do it. She wasn’t in the mood. No one understood how difficult it was to come up with new, interesting things to talk about with people who had exhausted every topic under the sun. No one gave her any credit for her conversational gymnastics, and she was pretty sure Jeffrey resented it. How many times had she heard it?You talked a lot at dinner.Tonight she would observe all the rules of proper decorum. She would not get bawdy. She would not be the first one to bring up sex, or drinking, or other lewd topics. She pressed her lips shut.
There was a lull at the table. They were waiting for her.What is the greatest song the Rolling Stones ever recorded? I say “Loving Cup.” Andrea, how about you?No, she wouldn’t. Was anyone looking at her? She didn’t care. She didn’t care if they ate their whole meal in awkward silence. She studied her menu.
Out of the blue, the Chief started talking. This was truly amazing, as the Chief normally said very little, in the way that serious men who had important, quasi-confidential jobs said very little. The Chief had apparently bumped into an officer with theLVPDat the roulette wheel. The Chief showed his badge. The other officer was on the vice squad, he said. The Chief and this officer chatted it up for quite a while.
“You would not believe the things he told me,” the Chief said.
“Like what?” Delilah said, forgetting to keep her mouth shut.
The Chief drank from his beer bottle (the waiter had wanted to pour the beer in a glass, but the Chief held his palm up and said,It comes in a glass,in a way that was very Chief-like). He shook his head at Delilah. He wasn’t going to tell them anything else. He was famous for bringing up teasers like that and letting them drop.
