"A manager let her apart." "early this morning." "She'd been out all night and lost her keys." "He said she moved in a couple weeks ago." "Hello?" "Yes, this is Dr. Keener." "Who's this?" "Hi." "Yes." "Could you come by today?" "Anytime's fine." "I'll see you at 2:00." "Hi." "Is Dr. Rosen in?" "This is Dr. Keener." "Okay." "No, I'll call him back." "I'm not in my office today." "Thank you." "Actually, would you..." "give him the message?" "Dr. Keener." "He has my number." "Thank you." "Would you happen to know what time he'll be back?" "No." "Okay." "Yeah." "No, of course." "Of course." "I'm sorry." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "Hello." "Dr. Rosen, please." "This is Dr. Keener." "Hello." "Oh, no." "It's okay." "I'll call him back later." "Thank you." "Yes." "Bye-bye." "Hi." "I'm Christine Taylor." "We spoke earlier." "I'm Debbie's friend." "Yes. come in." " Have you ever consulted cards before?" " No." "Oh, somebody once read my... palm." " Which one?" " Uh, the left." "Both hands are really necessary to do a proper reading." "We were just fooling around." "Didn't really" "I think you're gonna like the cards." "Was there anything in particular that you wanna talk about?" "Okay, well, I'll just do a general outlook, and... then if you have any specific questions, you can ask me at the end." "All right." " You're a Scorpio." " Yes." "Are you ready?" "Okay, go ahead and pick 10 cards." "You're not happy." "You're good at pretending that everything in your life is good, and you give off a great sense of security and self-confidence, but... you're not satisfied..." "You don't know yourself well." "You're... restless and unsettled." "You're a great pretender." "You've been married, but you're presently divorced or separated." "You like to give the impression that you're happy to be by yourself, but in reality," "You're mortified that your marriage failed." "You believe it's your fault that it failed, and... it may be so." "Regret... in that area has caused you a great deal of pain." "You don't have any lifelong friends." "The friends you have you made while you were married, and you weren't close to them." "They were mostly your husband's friends." "Some of them wanted to be close to you, but they felt that you were inaccessible... or that you were aloof." "And you're very secretive." "And you don't trust easily." "And when you do let someone in, you later regret it, or resent them." "I think that you feel that sooner or later everyone is a disappointment." "You can be assertive and hands-on, especially in a crisis." "But I think you live..." "in constant fear of tragedy." "You're very, very afraid of change." "You've met a man?" "At work?" "Or... related to work that you're very taken with?" "Maybe you're even obsessed with him." "But I don't think he's affectionate." "And he's not someone who is easy to get to know intimately." "And you should be careful about misunderstandings because... you have a tendency to become quickly infatuated, and then... you get embarrassed or depressed because things didn't turn out the way you expected them to." "You're a daydreamer." "And you should be careful because you definitely have a tendency... to set yourself up for falls." "You should let me know if we're moving in the right direction." "It's possible we could take a wrong turn, and... get lost, especially since it's our first time." "You're- let's go on." "Excuse me." "Hello?" "Hi." "I'm fine." "How are you?" "Can I call you back?" "All right." "Bye-bye." "Yes." "Yes, of course." "Good-bye." "Lately I've had the feeling that my life is going to change." "It's a very strong feeling." "Can you see that?" " I've been having... dreams." " What kind of dreams?" "If there's bad news, I don't want you to tell me." "I'm sorry." "There's usually a nurse, but she had to take the day off." "Just tell me about this year." "You seem to be very concerned with finding a man." "Someone who you can depend on." "Somebody who you can share your life with." "And there is a man who will be interested in you." "The man you mentioned before?" "The one at work?" "No, this is somebody you've never met." "A younger man." "Well, the man at work is younger than I am." "A couple of years." "He's... tall." "Fair skin." "Has brown eyes." "No." "You sure it's not somebody I already know?" "This is a new man." "You know, Dr. Keener, none of this is written in stone." "I mean, these are your cards today, but..." "nothing happens without you." " What time is it?" " It's a quarter to 2:00." "I'm gonna leave before I turn into a pumpkin." " Good morning!" " Good morning!" "Hi, this is Rebecca Weyman." "Can Debbie see me today?" "Yeah, okay." "I'll be there." "Thanks." " Do you have a cigarette for us?" " No." " Are you waiting for someone?" " No." "So what are you doing standing here smoking like a whore?" " You're not a whore, are you?" " No." "So what are you?" "I work here." "Are you a teller?" "Do you handle the money?" "I'm the bank manager." "If you're the manager, why can't you smoke inside?" "There's no smoking inside." "What good is it, then, to be the boss?" "I don't know." "I robbed a bank once." "A long time ago when my husband and I came out here, we tried to rob a bank in Glendale." "It was a joke." "He almost got himself killed." "But we got away." "No money, though." "We couldn't get our hands on any money." "What does your husband do?" "Or doesn't he work?" "Is he a kept man?" "I don't have a husband." " Of course you do." " I'm not married." "Show me your ring finger." " Are you a lesbian?" " No." " Are you?" " Do I look like a lesbian?" "Did you study to become a bank manager?" "Or does daddy own the bank?" "Is that it?" " Daddy owns it?" " No, I trained with the bank." "I bet that training... included things you'd be too ashamed to talk about." " Like what?" " You tell me." "I'm sure you had to do all sorts of things... to get to the top." "That's the second time you've called me a whore." "I wanna walk away with the rest of your cigarettes." "You can send one of your assistants to buy you more." " You have men working under you?" " Yes." "Send them!" "They'll hate you for it." "But they'll... jack off..." "just thinkin' about you, anyway." "Thank you for your time." "Have a nice day." "You haven't told me your name." "Nancy." "Rebecca." "I need you to sign these." " I'm taking a long lunch." "Cover for me?" " Sure." "Do you think the men in the bank resent that a woman is in charge?" " I'm okay with it." " And the others?" "I haven't heard anything." "It's mostly women in here, anyway." "If they weren't okay with it, would it matter?" "Do you think they have sexual fantasies about me?" "I'm sure they do." "See you later." "Come on, you son of a bitch!" "Hey, stranger." "How're you doin'?" " Never better." " When was the last time you were here?" "I don't know." "In the... fall, I think." "March of last year." "That's too long." "Any problems?" "I took a home pregnancy test, and it lit up like a Christmas tree." "Do you remember the date of your last period?" " I haven't had one since april." " I'll have a look." " Have you been trying to get pregnant?" " No." "I use a diaphragm, but I had a couple of encounters without it." "That'll do it." " I was in a hurry." " I always say to my husband," ""Go slow 'cause I'm in a hurry. " Come on." "Scoot down." "6 weeks pregnant." "Does 6 weeks sound about right to you?" "Well, that means that you are due..." "around January 7." "I don't wanna be pregnant." " You don't?" " No." " You wanna have an abortion?" " Yes." "Have you ever been pregnant before?" " And you are how old?" " 39." "Well, I gotta tell ya, this might be your last call." "I mean, do you wanna take a few days and think about it?" "No." "Maybe there's someone you wanna talk it over with?" "Nope." "I have a hunch of his wife is not gonna like it." " Is this an ongoing thing?" " Yes." " How long?" " 3 years." " And you have never mentioned it." " I told you about him." " I just never told you the details." " Well, that is a big detail." " So what's in store for the future?" " Only a fool would say." "The doctor can see you tomorrow at 3:00 or Friday at 11:00." "Tomorrow at 3:00." " See you then." " Oh, thanks." " I'll see you tomorrow." " Don't let the bedbugs bite." "Hey." " I'm out of cigarettes." " I'll run and get us some." "Keep the change." "I'm going to." "Are you on your way home?" " Home is where the love is." " See you later." " Are you in a hurry, sister?" " Yes, I am." " Children are waiting?" " No." "I didn't think so." "Hi." "Yes, it is I. The king." "The king." " Are you hungry?" " I can't stay long." " Where are you going?" " I gotta get to bed early." "I'm on a 7:00 a. m. flight to San Francisco." "Seems that Samuelson and his guys don't wanna play with us." "What happened?" "I don't know." "I don't know." "They got cold feet or something." "Interest on the financing of the second stage... blah, blah, blah..." "Let's not talk about it." "It's boring." "What about you?" "You look tired." "I am... a little bit." " I'm late with my period." " You're always late." "I saw the doctor at lunchtime." "I'm 6 weeks pregnant." "What happened?" "I didn't have the diaphragm with me..." "That time in Palm Springs." "Why not?" "I counted days and figured we'd be okay without it." "She set up an appointment for me tomorrow afternoon... to take care of it." " I won't be able to get back in time." " That's okay." "Whatever happened to Vera?" "Did she ever call back about those mexican tapestries" " she wanted to show us?" " No." "I'll" " I'll try her tonight." "Yeah." "See if she can come by Saturday evening." " I'd like to get one like Rosen has." " Yeah." "For right over there." "I'll come by in the evening." "We'll eat out." "Get some sleep." "You don't think I should have this baby, do you?" "You should be home sleeping." "I planned working you into the ground tomorrow." " Hey!" "Have a seat." " No, I'm on my way home." " Do you live near here?" " Sherman Oaks." " You in Studio City?" " Yeah," "My daughter's spending the week with her mother, so I'm out looking for trouble." " Are you finding any?" " No." " It's still early." " No." "Would you like a drink?" "A glass of red wine." " Are you out here every night?" " Yes." "I was really looking forward to my daughter spending the week with her mother, and now that she's gone, I don't know what to do with myself." " How old is your daughter?" " She's nine." "You should bring her to work sometime." "We'll show her the ropes." "I'll get her started on the art of giving orders." " Believe me, she's a natural." " I mean it." "I wanna meet her." "I can't promise I'll bring her to the bank, but... we'll invite you for dinner." " That'll be better." "June is blind." " I didn't know that." " Was she born blind?" " Yes." "That's a tough draw, but you have to learn to play the hard hand." "All my money's on her." "She's the queen." "And you're her king." "June." " That's a good name." " Yeah." "It's her mother's name." "So." "You plan on working me hard tomorrow?" "I've gotta take the afternoon off." "I need you to cover for me one more time." "I'm your man." "Would you like a drink?" " Hey." " Good morning." " Thanks for the candy." " I always carry it with me just in case." "I was a little hurt you didn't say good-bye." "Were you hurt?" "I'm sorry." "You don't sound sorry." "I'm not big on regret." "I got your change." "And I bought us..." "Winstons." " Who's this?" " Walter." " Is he your husband?" " He works at the bank." "He works for you?" "Under you?" "What is that like?" " What is what like?" " Working for her." " What is your name?" " Danielle." "Is that your real name?" "That's a whore's name." "Is that her real name?" "Be careful with her." " Why?" " She's a snake." "A snake as well as a whore." "That's not very nice." "Does your husband know that you're here?" "Does he know that you're sitting here with this man?" "I told you I'm not married." "We went over this yesterday." "Remember?" "You showed me your wedding ring." "Let me tell you about love." "You don't ask, you give." "A snake like you doesn't know this." "You wouldn't know a good man if he bit you on the tit." "And a good man, if he saw you, would cry to see a" " Listen, I think that's enough." " bitch." "No." "Keep going." "You're disgusting." "One look at you was enough for me." "A sad bitch." "A lonely bitch." "You're as lonely as a dog." "It's not that I don't like you." "I like you, princess." "I feel sorry for you." "I'm going to keep smoking your cigarettes." " Ma'am, what are you doing?" " I have to talk to the boss." "The manager." "No, no!" "I have to fight with" "Where's the boss?" "Ah!" "Danielle!" "Danielle!" "I have to talk to her!" "Go get her!" "Damn you!" "Son of a bitch!" "You son of a bitch!" "I won't be back until tomorrow." "Thanks for minding the store." "Rebecca?" "This is feeling a little strange." "You've been avoiding me all day." "Perhaps you're more accustomed to doing the avoiding." "Perhaps." "Or did you think this could be a regular romance?" "I'll see you tomorrow." " Hey." "All set?" " Yes." "How long will this take?" "It's just gonna take a few minutes." "It's a real quickie." "But they're gonna ask you to stay for a while, after, you're not gonna be able to drive." " Did someone come in with you?" " Robert's gonna pick me up at 4:00." " Why are you here, Deb?" " I just wanna stop by, say hello." " I don't want you to stay." " Are you sure about this?" "I don't want you here." "Hello." "I'm Dr. Keener." " We're ready?" " Yes." "Very well." "Will you lie down?" "Now, this won't knock you out." "It's just to relax you." "I'm all right." "Squish down a little bit more for me, please." "Would you move this over, please?" "I'm gonna see your chart." "Okay, this might be a little cold." "Did anyone call when I was in with Judy good?" "I don't think so, doctor." "You want me to check?" "No." "Okay, you're gonna feel a little... stick." "Oh, it's hot in this room." "Do something about the air, please." "Do you need all 3 of these?" "Try hold still." "How're you doin'?" "We're almost done." "We're almost done." " Mama, I wanna back here." " Where?" " Right here." " Is this it?" " No, go left." "More left." " "Further" left." " That's it." " That's a freckle." " You sure?" " Yes." "'Cause if it's something else, I want you to pop it." "I've seen freckles before, Jay." "You can't even see it." "How'd you find it?" "I felt it rubbing against my shirt, and it itches." "Let me see." "Don't think you have anything to worry about." "Did you brush?" "Let me smell your breath." " No!" " Come on." "What's the big deal?" "I'm not gonna let you do it." "Better me than someone else saying you need to brush more often." "You never know when you're gonna get close." " Forget it." " Come on." "I'm just asking to smell your breath." "I'm not asking for your hand in marriage." "Fine." "I'll let you this once if you promise it'll be the last time." " Promise." " I promise." " It's good." " Of course." " Can I start the car?" " Yeah, I'll be right there." "Okay, let's go." " Did you see that?" "He's a dwarf." " Yes, Jay, he is." "I never met a dwarf before." "We're gonna have to stop by later and introduce ourselves." "You would do that, Jay?" "You would actually go across the street and introduce yourself?" "You don't feel weird about meeting a dwarf, do you?" "I certainly don't feel weird about introducing myself to a new neighbor," " but please don't call him a dwarf." " He is a dwarf." "We'll stop by this evening and say hello." " I wonder what time Dwarfs go to bed." " Jay, that's enough." "Shut up, mom." "I'm not gonna embarrass you." "Do you wanna go by yourself?" "Better be careful." "Those little guys, they know how to work a lady." "Jay!" "You are totally out of control." "Let's go." "Gary and I have to work on the getty project, so he'll drive me home." " Who was that girl?" " What girl?" " A friend." " From school?" " Yes." " I never saw her before." " You don't know her." " What's her name?" " Angelica." " Angelica." "What a beautiful name." "She seemed very..." "Friendly." "See ya later, peach face." " Gary." "How are you?" " What's up?" " Hey." "How are you?" " Good, thanks." "Excuse me, sir." "We haven't met, but..." "I believe you're moving into the house across the street from mine." "I'm on my way home." "I could give you a ride if you need one." "How do you know I'm moving into the house across the street from yours?" "I saw you with the movers this morning." "On Cynthia Street." "And you're sure it was me you saw." " Yes, I-I'm sure." " Of course it was me." "I'm just surprised you're willing to pick up strange men." "Surprised, but thankful." " Thanks for this." " You're welcome." "I just bought a car, but it won't come in until next week." "Oh, are you moving here from out of town?" "From Covina." "I didn't even know that house was for sale." " It's been empty for so long." " I didn't buy it." " It's my mother's house." " Really?" "Yes." "I was born in that house." "Is your mother moving in there with you?" "She died last year." " Oh, I'm sorry." " Don't worry about it." "We hadn't said a word to each other in over 20 years." "I left home when I was 16, and she never forgave me." " Why did you leave home?" " I joined the circus." "You joined the circus when you were 16?" "I fell in love with a girl who worked in a circus, and I ran away with her." " That's quite a story." " It's not all that exciting." "I became a bookkeeper with that circus." "Perhaps you thought I was a lion tamer?" " No, I-I didn't." " I'm allergic to cats." "What kind of business are you in?" " I write books for children." " Storybooks?" "Yes." "I've just started, really." "I'm a schoolteacher." " Do you have children yourself?" " I have a son." "Jay." "He's 15." "I wanted to be a writer once." "A writer of short stories." " I don't write anymore." " Why not?" "I wasn't any good." "I didn't work at it hard enough, it's a lonely job." " Are you still with the circus?" " No." "I left that years ago." "I work for a hospital now." "I guess that would make my mother happy." "She and I didn't make up before she passed." "I regret that very much." " What happened to the girl?" " Which one?" "The one with the circus." "She's with another man." "Thank God, we're here." "You're making me think of things I haven't thought about for a long time." "Let me help you carry them in the house." "Don't worry about it." "I'll get it." "Thanks for the lift." "I didn't even introduce myself." " Albert." " Rose." " Rose." "Which is your house?" " That one." "There." "Well" "Oh, stinker." " Jay?" " Rose?" "Come in here." " Hungry?" " Always." "Give me 2 minutes." "Make you pizza." " What are you workin' on?" " 2 frogs." " Can we invite the dwarf?" " His name's Albert." "How do you know that?" "I ran into him in the supermarket, and I gave him a ride home." " You gave a dwarf a ride home?" " Jay, stop calling him a dwarf." "His name's Albert." "I almost got us into an accident." " He made you nervous." " No." "He was very friendly." " I bet he was." " What's that supposed to mean?" "He might turn out to be the man of your life." " Thank you, Jay." " I thought you might like that." " What else?" " What else, what?" "Well, tell me more about the dwarf, Albert." "Got it." " Who was that on the phone?" " Dad." " He said to say "hello. "" " Thanks." "You guys getting together this saturday?" "No." "They're going away to Mexico for the weekend." " Guess who I saw today." " Who?" " Edmund." " Edmund?" "Where?" "Coming out of a bank." "He didn't see me." "I haven't seen him in a long time." " He's a character, isn't he?" " Why do you say that?" "A 400-pound man who courted you by taking you to Pink's Hot Dogs for spicy polish sausages?" "He had a hard time burping his way into your heart, didn't he?" " Jay, he wasn't after me." " Oh, no." "Of course not." " Did he ever kiss you?" " Jay, please." "Stop." "I hope he didn't." " Well, what if he had?" " Did he?" " No." " He wasn't your type." "Really?" "And what is my type?" "I don't know." "Someone lighter." "Someone with wings." "You'll find someone." " What makes you think I'm looking?" " Everyone's looking." " Really?" " Yeah." " How did you come to that conclusion?" " Because love rules, baby." "And what about you?" "Are you looking?" " Always." " Are you finding it?" "Sometimes." "If you have a girlfriend, how come I don't know about it?" "I don't have one." "What about that girl we saw today, Angelica?" " Is she your girlfriend?" " Nah." " We're friendly." " You're friendly?" "I slept with her once, if that's what you're asking." " Did you use a condom?" " Of course." "She was after me." "How could I refuse?" "My clock's out of batteries." "Can you wake me up?" " Sure." "What time?" " 6:15." "Hasta la vista." " See you tomorrow." " Close the door, Rose." "I didn't mean to scare you." " When?" " About me and that girl." "You didn't scare me, you just..." "caught me by surprise, that's all." "Why?" "All set." "I dreamt that I was feeling better, and I asked you to drive me to Claire's Bakery." "And on the way there, we got in a huge argument about your hair." "You say to me that you want to cut it." "I say to you, "It's fine the way it is," blah, blah, blah..." "You get upset, and, you wait in the car." "And it did feel so great to be out of the house." "But I'm scared because..." "I've heard that when people are very ill and they suddenly feel better, it sometimes means that the end is near." "It's like the body makes one last effort... before losing the battle altogether, you know?" "And I wanna buy you a loaf of olive bread." "But I have no money." "I only have sand in my pocket." "When I come out, you've gone and left me there." "It's just an ugly dream." "Don't think about it." "I'm scared, Chris." "I'm really scared now." "Look, Baby." "New birds." " Canaries." " How can you tell?" "I can see 'em." "Two males, probably." " How do you know that?" " Only the males sing." "I had canaries the whole time I was growing up." "Really?" "You never told me that." "Well, not the whole time, but I had a couple once." " A boy gave 'em to me." " What boy?" "This boy who was in love with me." " Oh, get out." " Yeah." "Salvador." "He stole money from his father's wallet, and he bought me a pair of canaries." "I was once late for this soccer game, and I knew that my mother wouldn't drive me if I didn't clean up my room." "And that included cleaning out the bottom of the bird cage." "So I thought it'd be quicker, it'd be easier if I just... used a vacuum cleaner." "And I opened up the door of the cage, real careful, and..." "I stuck the hose in there..." "and turned on the machine." "One of 'em got sucked up right off the bat." " No." " Head first." "And it was a rubber hose, and I still remember that feeling of that bird squeezing through inside my hand." "Oh, my..." "Come on, Christine." "Oh, jeez." "Is that a true story?" "Of course." "And what happened to the other canary?" "I don't remember what happened to her." "Maybe we should get canaries too?" "Hey, it's Vicky, callin' to see how everyone's doin' over there." " Christine?" " Yeah?" "Baby, I heard you talking before." "Oh, I was playing back old messages." " Did my mama call back?" " No, that was her old message." "Oh." "Who else?" "Vicky." "How you feel?" "It hurts a little." "What did Vicky say?" "She just wanted to know how we were doin'." "That's what she said?" ""How are you guys doing?"" "I'm not sure exactly, but I can play it back for you." "No, no, no." "Just tell me how you remember it." ""How's everybody doin' over there?"" "That sounds like her." " Wasn't she supposed to come and visit?" " She's coming tomorrow." "Stay." "Vicky has always had a crush on you." " That isn't true." " Yes, it is." "When we met you, she said that you looked like a very affectionate person..." "And that it would be great to know you intimately." "Those were her words." "You know how she has that way of talking." "That doesn't mean she's in love with me." "Besides, I didn't say she was in love with you." "I said a little crush, just a little crush." "If you were going to have a baby, what would you like, boy or a girl?" "Come on." "Play with me." "I don't wanna have a baby." " Every woman wants a baby." " I don't." "I don't want one, boy or girl." "A boy would be great." "Sebastian." "Sebastiano." "Do you like that name?" " Do you have favorite names for boys?" " No." "Don't be such a party pooper." "Come on." "I won't hold you to anything." " Go to sleep, please." " I'm all right." "Baby..." "Tell me about the time when we first met." "What do you mean?" "You know, at that party..." "when we first spoke." " What about it?" " I just want to know how it was." " You were there." " Remind me." "I didn't wanna go." "Claire talked me into it, and I went as a butterfly." "And you were there with Vicky." "And you were Thumbelina." "And you were wearing your clogs and your fish earrings, and you smelled of Patchouli." "Vicky was Rumpelstiltskin." "And you said you'd seen me before at Frieda's or" "But I didn't remember you." "And while we talked, Vicky said nothing." "And she just kept looking at me, and she made me uncomfortable." "So I said that I wanted to go to the bar to get a drink." "And you followed me." "I remember that blind girl was playin' on the piano." "And at the bar, you introduced me to that woman, Grace, film director." "That was the first time I heard you say my name." ""Christine. "" "And, she was Mother Goose." "And she had that huge tattoo on her chest." "It was- it was like an exterminating angel or something, and she asked us if we were a couple." "And I blushed." "Remember?" "And you- you laughed." "You said, "Oh, no, no." "We've just met, but I have my designs on her. "" "That's what you said, that you had designs on me." "And that woman... remember?" "She... she had 3 daughters with different men, and she had just had her tubes untied and she was looking for a man to inseminate her." "Remember?" "And then Vicky walked over and started interrogating me, but I didn't care at this point 'cause I was already drunk a little bit." "I just wanted her to leave so I could be alone with you." "And then?" "I drove you home." " And then what?" " You know what." "What?" "We kissed." "Good night." "Good night." " Hey, sis?" " Yeah?" "God talks to Adam and says, "Adam, I have the perfect mate for you, but it's gonna cost you an arm and a leg. "" "Adam thinks about it and replies, "what can you give me for a rib?"" " That's good." "Where'd you hear it?" " It's in the Bible." " Hey, sis." " Hi." "What are you reading?" "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus." " When did that come out in Braille?" " Last week." "It's wonderful." "It is changing my whole outlook." "I'll never make the same mistakes, ever." "Really?" "What mistakes are those?" "Being a woman who loves too much." "Choosing the wrong man, then trying to change him." "Not accepting myself for who I am." "Doing all the things women do to ruin their lives." " Nice try." " It's 100 years of solitude." "So how was your day in the asphalt jungle?" " A woman I knew killed herself." " Shit." "Who?" "You don't know her." "Carmen Alba?" "We were in high school together." "I haven't seen her for 18 years." "I didn't know her very well back then either." " How'd she do it?" " She turned on the gas and went to sleep." "I bet you could tell just by looking at her there's a man involved." " There's no one yet." " I bet he ran for cover." "How was your day?" "Sylvia came down with a cold, so they called me in to teach one of her pupils." "It's a little girl, quick as a whip." "Terrific reader." "Father separated." "Hit on me right away." "Going out on a date tomorrow night." " Where is he taking you?" " To a concert." "Maybe he'll take me to see Ray Charles." "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, detective." "I'm afraid we're running a little behind." "Shall we?" "There's a little ink on this finger." "Did she leave a note?" "Haven't found one." "She has a mild burn here." "Waxing, maybe?" "Could be a combo of gas and pills." " Any reason to think it wasn't suicide?" " No." "Not really." " I just wanted to be sure." " Did you know her?" "She once had a C-section." "I'll take a closer look at her, but she's not gonna tell us all of her secrets." "Okey dokey, detective." "If I find anything unusual, I'll let you know right away." "Yes." "Thank you." " Hey, sis!" " Yeah." "Will you do the honors?" "I'm at your mercy." "You can make me into a slut... or Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the future saint." "I don't think Mother Teresa wore makeup." " She should've." " Lips." " What color?" " Autumn." "Black lily." "I gotta get that lipstick that doesn't smear the glass when you drink." " Is he taking you out to dinner as well?" " He wants to... but he's not ready for my table manners." "Well, his daughter is blind." "I'm sure he's understanding." "His daughter and a woman are not the same thing." "First, I have to approve his bedroom manners." "Endurance, perseverance, spirit of sacrifice." "That's from Amy Vanderbilt's Complete Book of Etiquette." "We're just gonna have a drink after the concert." " Eyes." " Any more on your dead friend?" " Nope." "No one claimed the body." " Yeah." "I smell a rat." " What makes you so sure there's a man?" " I'm not sure of anything, but you know how I love the worst-case scenario." " Find any photographs?" " No." "No photographs at all in the house." "How coy." "Did you check the garbage?" "All the trash cans are empty." " Address book?" " There wasn't one." "Glass slipper?" "You're done." "Do you think it's an option for a blind girl to get plastic surgery?" "How are my nails?" "They're good." "I would be lost without you, sis." "That's my boy." "Can you get it?" "I gotta go pee." "Yeah." "What's his name, anyway?" "Walter." "Can you believe that?" " Hi." " Hi." " I'm walter." "Hi." " I'm Carol's sister." "I'm sorry." "Carol didn't tell me your name." " Hi." "I'm Kathy." " Oh." "Nice to meet you." " Carol's gonna be out in a minute." " Thanks." "Carol tells me you have a beautiful daughter and smart." "Yes, and funny, but don't get me started." "I'll bore you." " Hi." " Hi." " You look great." " Thanks." "So do..." " You almost had me there." " How's he look, sis?" " Looks good." " Yeah?" "Handsome?" "You smell good too." "Let me get my cane, just in case Walter needs it to beat me." "And we are on our way." "See you later, sis." "Nice to meet you, Kathy." "If you'd like to join us later after the concert, that'd be great." "Nope." "Kathy would rather watch television." "See ya." " Bye." " Bye-bye." "Hello, detective." "I'm just gonna call you with the result about the lady." "Oh, thank you." "Did you find anything unusual?" "Well, she did take sleeping pills, just as we imagined." "Yes, I'm afraid she took enough pills to put a horse to sleep." "I'm sorry." "I shouldn't be laughing." "No, it's my fault." "It's a ridiculous thing to say." " Please forgive me." " Oh, no, no." "Please." "Don't worry about it." "Thank you for telling me." "Thank you very much." "It's definitely one of ours, but I can't release any information." "I'm sorry." "That's the law." "Can you at least tell me if Carmen Alba ever had a baby in this hospital?" "What good would that do you?" "I'm a friend of Carmen's." "If she has a son or daughter, I'd like to find them." "I don't envy you the task of having to tell a child that their mother committed suicide." "Do you know why she did it?" "Carmen Alba had a baby girl in this hospital in 1989." "The baby died the following day." " So there is no child?" " No." " So that's that?" " Yep." "You know, there might still be someone." "There's no one." "Surprised to hear you say that, sis." "Usually you're a sucker for hope." "Well, even if I got lucky and found that someone, it would take time." " The city has to bury her tomorrow." " What will she wear?" "That's not funny." "I'm not trying to be funny." "I'm serious." "What will they bury the poor woman in?" "I have no idea." "Every woman should be buried in a dress made especially for her by the birds and the mice, just like Cinderella's." "The whole thing just reeks of a man, doesn't it?" "You don't know her motives." " Well, she was a fool." " You're not being very kind." "She wasn't kind to herself." "She threw out all her things before turning on the gas." " She was discreet." "I'll grant her that." " And the baby's bracelet?" "It fell into her shoe while she was going through her things." "She never saw it." "You should consider being a detective." "Well, there was an opening, but they gave it to a deaf-mute black man." "Where's Walter taking you tonight?" " The Lighthouse." " What's that?" " A watering hole." " You been there before?" " Yes." "They all take me there." " You never mentioned it?" "No." "I didn't think it was your kind of place." "What do you think is my kind of place?" "Who knows, sis?" "Who knows?" "When you find out, you let me know." "Every girl must find her own little way." " I'll keep you posted." " Why?" "Did you meet someone?" "No." "See you later, sis." "Don't let the bedbugs bite." "Carol?" "Carol?" " Walter?" " Open the door." "Is that you?" " I'm done for the night." " Oh, that's very funny." " My sister's down the hall." " Open the door." "Carol?" "Carol?" "That's enough." " You'd be doing her a favor." " Oh." "Listen, if you don't" "Drop me off at the coffee place." "I'll walk back and read in the park." "Only the blind and homeless walk in this city." " How was your date?" " It was good." " Hope we didn't make too much noise." " No." "I slept right through." "He's a good boy." "Little possessive, but he's all right." "And his manners?" "They were good, sis." "Real good." "Thanks for asking." "Is he taking you out to dinner?" "Yeah." "I told him to pick me up tomorrow night at 7:00." "Hello, this is detective Faber." "Yes?" "Yes." "Hello." "Fine, thank you." "What can I do for you?" "No, no." "It's just that I was working, And you took me by surprise." "Tomorrow's fine." "No." "That's not necessary." "I can meet you anywhere." "All right." "Thank you." "How 'bout 7:00?" "1124 Carmelina in Valley Village." "No." "Hold on." "Better make it 8:00." "Is that all right?" "Okay." "Bye." ""Just as the door opened, a gust of wind picked up the little paper dancer... and blew her into the stove." "The next day, the maid was cleaning out the oven... and found him in the shape of a heart." "But nothing remained of the girl. "" "That was very good, June." "Did you know that coal miners used to keep canaries underground?" "That way they could tell if there were gas leaks, because the canaries would die." "No." "I didn't know that." "My dad told me that." "He likes you." "I could tell right away." "It's the way he talked to you." "He uses that tone when he meets a woman he likes." "He speaks slowly and agrees with everything she says." "He does that with you." "Have you noticed?" "No." "I haven't noticed." "Do you think he'll ask you out on a date?" "I don't know, June." "You might wanna ask him." "He asked you out already." "Is that it?" "Would it bother you if he had?" "Only if you accepted, but I don't think there's any real danger." "He's still in love with mom, and nothing's going to change that." " Do you live alone?" " No." "I live with my sister." " Where does she work?" " She's a detective." "That's cool." "Is she single like you?" " Yes." " She's not blind, of course." "Why isn't she married?" "I guess she just hasn't found the right man yet." "Maybe she didn't wanna leave you all alone." "Is that it?" "That would be wrong, of course." "I think a blind person is perfectly capable of living on her own." "Don't you?" "I didn't wanna be nosy about you and my dad, but if he hasn't asked you out, it's for the better." "He's usually all lovey-dovey with them at first, then he drops 'em like a hot potato." ""Like a hot potato. " Isn't that a funny expression?" "What happened, Carol?" "I thought you said he would pick you up at 7:00." "No. 8:00." "What time is it?" "It's 5 to 8:00." "I thought you said 7:00." "Are you going out?" "Yeah." "Vera called." "We're gonna go out for a bite." " How is Vera?" " She's, she's good, I think." "I haven't really talked to her for a while." "On the phone, she seemed a little down." "Why?" "What's the matter?" "I don't know." "Problems with her husband, I think." "I've been thinking some more about your friend Carmen." "Maybe she found the love of her life, and they had a child." "But after the baby died, they were incapable of consoling one another." "The burden was too much to carry alone... and impossible to share." "It tore them apart." "So Carmen moved away to a kinder place away from here, but she wasn't able to rebuild her life." "So she reached out to the father of her child." "They talked on the phone for months, but she was terrified of hope." "It took her a long time to build up the courage... to meet with him face to face." "Finally, she returned to Los Angeles... to be near him, try to pick up the pieces." "She moved into that house, prepared for the big night." "But the evening, it went badly." "Or what's worse, it went well at first, then it went badly." "The end of the night, it was clear to her..." "That nothing she could do... could revive that baby..." "or their love... or kill the pain... or do anything but make her feel alone." "Maybe she left early in the morning while he slept." "She made up her mind about her future on that long walk home." "When she arrived... she went through all of her things... and threw them out, erasing herself quietly behind closed doors..." "Like most people live their lives." "I was wrong about you being a detective." "You should be a writer." "Oh, well, only a fool would speculate about the life of a woman." "I mean, maybe she was just tired of dead ends." "Phone calls that were never returned." "Promises that were never kept." "Tripping over the same stone." "I guess we'll never know what she was thinking." "It's just as well." "These are the things that can't be shared." "Becca?" "Becca?" "That's Vera." "What's the hurry?" "Why don't you invite her in?" "We'll torture her." "Don't keep her waiting."