“It is all very easy because I have you. Unravel your knickers, lady.”

“Unravel your knickers, lady”

“Man is a mystery. It needs to be unravelled, and if you spend your whole life unravelling it, don't say that you've wasted time. I am studying that mystery because I want to be a human being.”

“I’ve got it!” he declared suddenly, snapping his fingers in triumph. “Take your knickers off.” “What?” Did that mean what I think it did? “Your knickers. You know—panties, underwear, muff-huggers, nasty nets—”

“After I left here on Saturday, I decided never to see you again.”He was sliding the frittata under the broiler, so she could only see his profile, but damn if he didn’t appear to be smirking.“I know that, darling. It wounds my pride you won’t go out with me, but I can console myself with the knowledge that when you do see me, you can’t keep your knickers on for ten minutes running.”She threw her cookie at him, feigning indignation. “You bastard! Are you calling me easy?”“I like you easy. Besides, you’re not to blame. Who’d want to wear wet knickers?”

“Then I have some bad news for you, because humans are going to destroy each other as soon as it becomes easy enough to, which will be very soon.”