小说园

第9部分（第1页）

Getting　to　know　our　classmates；　spending　some　time　out　in　the　open　country；　living　off　the

earth？way　it　should　be；　man。　Way　it　should　be。

Peace；　love；　and　unity；

Urth　Greenberg

breaking　up　isn？t　all　that　hard　to　do

Dan　sat　on　the　curb　outside　the　Strand；　a　cigarette　in　one　hand　and　a　cup　of　weak；　tepid　black

coffee　in　the　other。　Taxis　rumbled　down　Broadway；　pouring　black　smoke　out　of　their　tailpipes。　A

stream　of　tourists　flooded　the　sidewalks；　mopping　their　sweaty　brows　and　looking　questioningly

into　the　musty　old　bookstore　as　if　trying　to　gauge　the　strength　of　its　air…conditioning。　The　heat

shimmered　off　the　pavement　in　waves　and　Dan　pushed　his　long；　straggly　brown　hair　back　from　his

forehead　with　one　hand。

For　the　past　few　days；　he？d　bailed　on　the　shifts　that　overlapped　with　Greg？s　in　an　attempt　to

postpone　their　inevitable　talk。　He　just　didn？t　know　what　tosay　when　Greg　told　him　he　wanted　to

be　more　serious；　moreofficial　。　Avoidance　had　seemed　like　a　good　plan；　but　then　this　morning　his

boss　had　threatened　to　fire　him　if　he　didn？t　e　in；　so　he？d　spent　the　day　in　stealth　mode；　hiding

out　in　the　gardening　section　and　ducking　behind　bookshelves　whenever　he　heard　footsteps

approaching。

？Hello　Daniel。？　An　unfamiliar；　elderly　voice　startled　him。

He　looked　up　from　his　perch　on　the　sidewalk　and　recognized　Aggie；　the　seventysomething

receptionist　at　Riverside　Prep　who　wore　a　different　wig　every　day。　Today　it　was　black　and　curly；

sort　of　like　Ernie？s　hair　fromSesame　Street。

？Hello　Aggie；？　Dan　mumbled。　This　was　the　problem　with　New　York？you　couldn？t　get　a　second

of　peace　and　quiet　without　running　into　someone　you　knew。　Aggie　would　probably　want　to　have

tea　with　him　now；　maybe　get　in　one　last　heart…to…heart　before　he　left　for　college。

Or　take　him　wig　shopping？

？Well；　Daniel；　it？s　lovely　to　run　into　you　like　this；　though　I　can？t　stay　and　chat。　Congratulations

on　your　recent　announcement；　and　I？m　sorry　I　missed　your　party！？　Dan　watched　in　shock　as　Aggie

smiled；　patting　her　wig；　and　then　shuffled　off　in　the　direction　of　the　discount　books　racks。

Dan　gave　her　a　slight　wave　and　then　sighed；　pressing　his　back　against　the　brick　wall；　which　felt

like　it　was　searing　his　flesh　through　his　damp　T…shirt。　Well；　that　was　weird。　Did　his　mom　invite

theentire　world　to　his　ing…out　party？　He　adjusted　his　butt　on　the　hot　pavement　and　pulled　a

notebook　from　his　ratty　black　Timbuk2　messenger　bag。　If　he　didn？t　get　something　written　for　the

wedding　soon；　he？d　be　seriously　screwed。　But　the　trouble　was；　nothing　was　ing　to　him。　What

did　he　know　about　marriage　anyway？　How　was　he　supposed　to　write　about　loving　someone　for　the

rest　of　your　life　when　he　couldn？t　even　figure　out　hisown　love　life？