“Trappeddon't undress my loveyou might find a mannequin:don't undress the mannequin you might findmy love. she's long agoforgotten me. she's trying on a newhat and looks more the coquettethan ever.she is achildand a mannequinand death. I can't hate that. she didn't doanything unusual. I only wanted herto.”

“she knew what she wanted and it wasn't / me. / I know more women like that than any / other kind.”

“sometimes I hate you," she said.”

“To me, nudity is a joke. I don't think nude people are very attractive at all. I like my women fully clothed. I like to imagine what might be under there. It might not be the standard thing. Imagine, stripping a woman down, and she has a body like a little submarine. With periscope, propellers, torpedoes. That would be the one for me. I'd marry her right off and be faithful to the end.”

“I was only kidding about the hundred," she says.oh," I say, "what will it cost me?"she lights her cigarette withmy lighter and looks at methrough the flame:her eyes tell me.look," I say, "I don't think Ican ever pay that price again.”

“I can't blame her. butwonder why she's here with me? where are the other guys? how can you be lucky? having someone theothers have abandoned?”

“you son of a bitch, she said, I amtrying to build a meaningfulrelationship.you can't build it with a hammer,he said.”