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out of the kitchen, and stepped on her own wing, tripping, going over on her face. "Tomorrow, you cut these tomorrow!" she said, and her wings flared open, knocking the light fixtures a-swing and tumbling piles of books. "Tomorrow!" she said.
#
"Good morning, Natalie," he said. She was red-eyed and her face was puffy, and her hand shook so that the smoke from her cigarette rose in a nervous spiral.
"Andy," she said, nodding.
He looked at her across the railing that divided their porches. "Would you like to join me for a coffee?"
"I'm hardly dressed for it," she said. She was wearing a pair of cutoffs and house slippers and a shapeless green T-shirt that hung down past her butt.
"The Greek doesn't stand on ceremony," he said. He was hardly dressed better. He hadn't wanted to go up to the master bedroom and face Mimi, so he'd dressed himself out of the laundry hamper in the basement.
"I don't have *shoes*," Alan.
"You could go in and get some," he said.
She shook her head.
Her shoulders were tensed, her whole skinny body a cringe.
"We'll go barefoot and sit on the patio," he said after a moment, kicking his shoes off.
She looked at him and gave a sad laugh. "Okay."
The sidewalk was still cool enough for bare feet. The Greek didn't give their bare feet a second look, but brought iced coffees and yogurt with walnuts and honey.
"Do you want to tell me about them?"
"It's been bad ever since -- ever since Mimi left. All of a sudden, Krishna's Link's best friend. He follows him around."
Alan nodded. "Krishna beat Mimi up," he said.
"I know it," she said. "I heard it. I didn't do anything, goddamn me, but I heard it happen."
"Eat," he said. "Here." He reached for a clean napkin from the next table and handed it to her. She dried her eyes and wiped her nose and ate a spoonful of yogurt. "Drink," he said, and handed her the coffee. She drank.
"They brought those girls home last night. *Little