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So you want me to stop breathing? asked Frieda.
I want you to breathe some of that good stuff on me,
said Betty. Teach me your magic ways. Give me the list of
ten things I need to do to win the perfect man. I ve got a
pen in my purse. Let me dig it out. Okay. I m ready. Go.
Frieda stared at Betty. She didn t like the look in her
older sister s eyes. It verged on the weepy. A Gregg-
reflection warning. Betty put her pen down, and said, Go
ahead.
I can t help it.
Just go, said Betty.
I m thinking about the first time I met Gregg. At his
friend s cousin s roommate s party.
Continue, said Betty, hurrying her sister along.
We were introduced by the cousin s roommate, she
said. And didn t leave each other s side for nine years. I
can t tell you how to win a perfect man. But I do know
what it feels like to meet him.
Betty said, Heat, passion, desire. I feel that all the time
when I see hot guys. But nothing ever happens.
43
V
alerie Frankel
Because you do nothing about it, said Frieda correctly.
When you meet the right guy, you won t have a choice.
My legs will walk toward him, driven by a power I can t
control, arms raised with hunger, eyes gleaming.
You won t turn into a zombie, said Frieda. But you
will be compelled to act.
Betty asked, How will I know I m compelled?
Her older sister shook her head. You ve never felt com-
pelled?
Not that she could recall. Of course I have, said Betty.
Just refresh my memory of that unforgettable feeling.
When you meet a man who compels you, you feel a slap
across the face, said Frieda. Not a real slap. It s figurative.
The slap of lust? asked Betty. That s what you re giv-
ing me? For that, I expose my vulnerabilities to the light of
day and will be twenty minutes late to work? Betty felt
lust all the time, and had never been compelled. I am
sorely disappointed in you, Frieda. I m not coming to you
again for any of this so-called wisdom.
Did you really tell Gert I d get married before you got a
date? asked Frieda.
That makes you feel better, doesn t it? asked Betty. She
stood, gave Frieda a hug and left.
The subway was crowded, uncomfortably so. Betty
hated being pushed and jabbed by backpacks and brief-
cases. By the time she got to Burton & Notham, her mood
was black. The store was busy, as always, people milling
around, messing up the neat stacks of books. She took the
elevator to the third floor.
44
The Not-So-Perfect Man
Gert was in her office, answering the phone. Betty closed
the door, put her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk
and locked it. Thanks for opening, Betty said. Did the
audio-books-booth guy show up?
Gert, radioactive in pink angora, said, Not yet. Your
brother-in-law called.
For a split second, Betty thought she meant Gregg. He
used to call her regularly to order books and CDs. Betty
got a 30 percent discount on all titles, and for Gregg, she
was always glad to exercise her perk. Every month, when
he came in to pick up his order, he d take her to lunch or
out for a drink to thank her. They d talk about Justin, or
mock Frieda s fastidiousness (her love affair with Ajax, her
obsession with nesting bowls). They complained about
their jobs (Gregg had been a vice president at a direct-
marketing firm; he proudly referred to himself a pur-
veyor of high-quality junk ). The hour would fly, and then
he d have to go, always pressed for time between work
and family. Betty would leave the restaurant or bar with
him, and watch him jog toward the subway on his long,
bowed legs.
Betty said, Peter called? What does he want?
He left his cell.
I have it somewhere.
A knock on the door. Betty said, Come in.
In he came. The air in the small room ionized on contact
with his body, as if all the microscopic floating particles of
dust stood still, and then sank paralyzed to the carpet. He
put on a friendly salesman smile, clearly accustomed to in-
45
V
alerie Frankel
troducing himself to strangers. And he spoke. I m Earl
Long. Are you Betty Schast?
She nodded silently.
He waited for a reply, but not too long, before he said,
You knew I was coming today, right?
She said, Audio-book booths.
I m the man.
Gert introduced herself. He held out his hand to give her
a shake. Earl Long s fingers were long; his hands square
and clean. Gert asked him if he needed coffee. He reached
into his wallet, took out two dollars and said to Betty, You
look like you have some loose ends. I ll get coffee and give
you few minutes before we talk, all right?
Betty nodded, as helplessly paralyzed as the dust on the
floor. Gert gave her a mystified look and offered to usher
Mr. Long to the store s café. They left together, blessedly
closing the door behind them.
Alone now, Betty shook herself loose of the spell. So that
was the sting of a compelling slap. Now she knew. Betty
could hear the sound of it reverberating in her ears. And
she would have to work with Earl Long every day for a
couple of months. She d have to talk to him. Get to know
him. Spend time in his compelling presence.
It would be agony.
46
Chapter 8
Wednesday, October 9
10:19 A.M.
Betty had left a half hour ago, and Frieda hadn t moved.
She couldn t get her mind off that night, when she had met
Gregg for the first time. The unfairness of his death never
let up. Her happiest memories had become her most
painful ones. She had to admit, the sadness had lightened
as the months passed. These days, she could think back on
his illness and not feel completely devastated. She believed
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