Page 75 of Two Chances With You

Gin’s hair is pulled back. She’s wearing a short leather jacket, covered with zippers and little buckle straps, an amusing light blue 55DSL belt, and low-waisted dark trousers with five pockets and stitching in contrasting shades. With a large fabric Fake London Genius bag. She has style.

Incredible the way you notice all the details when you like someone. She has a funny face. What am I saying? She has a pretty face.

“Where’s your motorcycle? Didn’t you come on your motorcycle?”

“No.”

“And here I was, all dressed up special for it.” She pirouettes in front of me. “Don’t I sort of remind you of Marlon Brando inThe Wild One?”

I smile. “More or less.”

“So, then, how did you get here?”

“In this, I just thought you’d be more comfortable.”

“An Audi A4! Who did you steal it from?”

“Ah, you underestimate me. It’s mine.”

“Sure it is, and I’m Julia Roberts.”

“Depends on which movie you’re thinking of. Oh, I get it,Pretty Woman.”

“Tsk tsk.” Gin heads over to the car door, and as she passes, she gives me a sudden punch in the shoulder.

“Ouch.”

“We’re not getting off to a good start. I did not like that wisecrack.”

“Oh, not that way. I meantPretty Womanin the sense that she’s chasing a dream.”

“And so?”

“And so, you’ve found your dream.”

“What dream, the Audi A4?”

“No, me.” I smile, we get in the car, and I take off out of there, tires screeching.

“More than a dream, this strikes me as a sort of a nightmare. Come on, tell the truth. Who did you steal it from?”

“My brother.”

“There, I like that better. It’s probably still a lie, but at least now it’s believable.”

I accelerate slightly, and we disappear into the night. And I think about the copies of the car keys purchased from that guy near the Sorci Verdi bar on Corso Francia, the one who has copies of all the keys of all the cars you could ever want or imagine. I think about Pollo and the first time he took me to see that guy, I think about the pranks we played, I think about my brother worrying and fretting about his stolen car. I think about the evening ahead of us, I think about my idea, and I think about my past. A few rapid thoughts, more powerful than the others.

I drive by the Church of the Assumption of Mary. I want to have some fun and take my mind off things. I turn to look at Gin. She’s turned on the radio, and she’s singing along with a song and has lit a cigarette. Then she looks at me and smiles. “Well, where are we going?”

“Oh, that’s a surprise.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

She smiles and tilts her head to one side. She undoes her hair. And at that very moment, it dawns on me that she’s the real surprise.

Chapter 26

So what’s the surprise? Is it a nice surprise?”

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