“I have a terrible weakness for collecting snatches of other people's conversations, and occasionally I'm rewarded with unusual fragments of knowledge. My favorite of the day came from a large but shapely woman sitting nearby whom I learned was the owner of a local lingerie shop. 'Beh oui,' she said to her companion, waving her spoon for emphasis, 'il faut du temps pour la corsetterie.' You can't argue with that. I made a mental note not to rush things next time I was shopping for a corset, and leaned back to allow the waiter through with the next course.”

“Please, sit down," Sharon said with another hair toss. I made a mental note to practice doing that in a mirror the next time I saw one. it seemed a useful skill, right up there with roundhouse kicks.”

“I think the most important thing a woman can have - next to talent, of course, - is her hairdresser.”

“I think that the most important thing a woman can have- next to talent, of course- is her hairdresser.”

“I carried the trace of her lips, of her breath on my skin through streets full of faceless people escaping from offices and shops.”

“I like to get input from the ladies when I shop.” He grabbed a navy T-shirt and studied the il ustration, a cartoon drawing of a woman with enormousbreasts and a rocket launcher between her legs.“That would be a definite no,” she said.“I like it.” He tossed it over his shoulder and began thumbing through a stack of jeans.“I thought you wanted my input.”He stared at her blankly. “Why’d you think that?” She gave up.”