VERONICA is boung orampoline. Dore is reading Flowers fernon. Simon is in bed with Anne.
"Youre about as tender as a sea lion," she says. "Have you ever dohis before?"
"I remember having do before."
"How does it make you feel with us in here and them out there?"
"Nervous."
"Were very tolerant."
"I see that. Whats that wham-wham-wham noise?"
"Veronica."
"Is she making obse ent?"
"Shes just mindless whes on that trampoline. She go for hours. She thinks shes got a prob?lem with her rear. I dont think theres a problem but she thinks theres a problem."
"Makes me nervous."
"Everything makes you nervous."
"True."
"Is this a male fantasy for you? This situation?"
"Its not a fantasy, is it."
"It has the structure of a male fantasy."
"The dumbest possible way to look at it."
"Well screw you."
"Our purpose here, I thought."
She turns him around and rubs his ass with her t in long swooping motions.
"Where did you go to school?"
"Here and there."
"What did you learn?"
"Lots of important stuff. Almost everybody Ive met since resent in my first-grade class. Maybe thirty-two kids in that class. Every type represented. When I run into somebody who was not present in my first-grade class I think Ive sighted a rare bird."
"Where did you go to college? Was it Harvard?"
"No it wasnt Harvard."
"Lots of people didnt go to Harvard."
"Theres just not enough Harvard."
"Maybe they could start a branch. In Florida or somewhere."
"They probably dohe urgency."
"Whats redeye gravy?"
"Ham drippings with a splash of coffee."
" we make some?"
"Go ahead."
"Blackeyed peas?"
"I love blackeyed peas."
"Creens."
"Fine."
"Well need some likker."
"Try the likker store."
"Be good if we had some hounds lazing about."
"I draw the li hounds."
"Simon, Im trying to do this thing right."
"I know you are."
She looks beautiful, her long dark hair done up in a pony tail. Her ARM THE UNEMPLOYED t-shirt.
"What are you going to do after we leave?" she asks.
"Go back to work, I guess."
"That what you want to do?"
"Work is Gods best iion. Keeps you all seized up and ied."
"I wish I could do something."
"You could always go to school."
"I dont like standing in lines."
"I know what you mean. The Army used up most of my standing-in-line capacity."
"But suppose youre at a reception and yoing to meet the President and theres a long line of very well-dressed people --"
"Im not in a hurry to meet the President. If he wants to e over and have a drink and a little guacamole dip, thats fine. My door is always open."
"You dont care about anything."
"Listening to the radio."
"You do love your radios."
"Im thinking of getting another ohey have these roof jobs for the bath --"
"I like a quiet reflective bath."
"Ill e in and put toads ier."
"Where would you get toads in New York City?"
"Toad store. They got big toads, little toads, horoads, no-horn toads --"
"Its a great city."
"Its a great argument for cities."
Simon wanted very much to be a hearty, optimistic Ameri, like the President, but oher hand did not trust hearty, optimistic Ameris, like the President. He had sidered the possibility that the President, when no