"So tell me about Fort Lupton," Simon says to Dore.
"Its between Brighton and Platteville. Basically a wide pla the road," she says. "But pretty wide. We even had crack."
"Did you."
"We had crack very early, before the rest of the try."
"Why was that?"
"Some pioneer cowboy chemists. As a matter of fact I was married to one of them for a while. Guy named Paul."
"Where is he now?"
"In the pen. Got four more years before he even think about probation."
"Im sorry.
"Im not. Guy cut me in the fae time with a li?noleum knife. He was explaining himself."
Simo uand how anybody could do this. "What was he mad about?"
"Hed been fired a lot, from various jobs. Usually he got fired the first week. He was good at getting hired but he was a genius at getting fired. I was in a shelter for battered women for six weeks. They did any?body know where it was."
"All of you been married?"
"Not Anne. Shes never found the right guy."
"Your husband was the right guy?"
"Well he seemed ni the beginning, Simon. He gave me an off-the-road vehicle for a wedding present. Those are big in Colorado."
Veronica is fiddling with a shirt button. Theyre iting room.
"What was your first sexual experience, Simon?"
He thinks for a moment. "I was about ten. This teacher asked us all to make little churches for a dis?play, kind of a model of a church. I made o of cardboard, worked very hard on it, and took it in to her on a Friday m, and she leased with it. It had a red roof, colored with red crayon. Then anuy, Billy something-or-other, brought ihat was made of wood. His was better than mine. So she tossed mi and used his."
"That was your first sexual experience?"
"How far back do you want to go?"
"How olds your kid? Sarah, is it Sarah?"
"Sarah. Shes een. When she was little she used to sing Im proud, proud, proud to be a cow. Thats something the cows sing on Sesame Street."
"Do you miss her?"
"Of course."
"What does your wife want?"
"More fun."
"Whats the matter with that?"
"Not a thing in the world."
"What does she do?"
"Shes a lawyer in Philadelphia. A deputy mayor, at the moment."
"You straight ay?"
"Historically, straight."
"Me too. Nothing wrong with being straight."
"Right."
"Great twat out there oreets you want some of it?"
"Only in principle."
"You like young twat, go after it. Onward to the merry hunt. You ever live and love in a garage apart?ment?"
"Never have."
"Theyre kind of snug. Especially if its a three-car garage. Up irees."
"Must be nice."
"Depends upon who youre cohabiting with. Dore has a hatpin. Six inches of cold steel."
"To disce creeps and weirdos."
"You got it."
"Has she stuybody with it?"
"Not in New York State. Ive been reading in the paper about these rabid skunks."
"Theyre getting closer."
"You wouldnt think youd have to worry about them in a city like this."
"Its a great city. We have everything."
"The mayor seems like a ."
"Hes a great mayor. Hes got it dowly right. Couldter. Hes what we want."
Theres a funny chirping s the smoke alarm.
"What the fuck is that?"
"The smoke alarm."
"Whats it trying to say? Theres no smoke."
"Telling us that the batterys wearing down."
"Well disect it for Christs sake."
He