第9部分(第1/7 页)

Getting　to　know　our　classmates；　spending　some　time　out　in　the　open　country；　living　off　the

earth？way　it　should　be；　man。　Way　it　should　be。

Peace；　love；　and　unity；

Urth　Greenberg

breaking　up　isn？t　all　that　hard　to　do

Dan　sat　on　the　curb　outside　the　Strand；　a　cigarette　in　one　hand　and　a　cup　of　weak；　tepid　black

coffee　in　the　other。　Taxis　rumbled　down　Broadway；　pouring　black　smoke　out　of　their　tailpipes。　A

stream　of　tourists　flooded　the　sidewalks；　mopping　their　sweaty　brows　and　looking　questioningly

into　the　musty　old　bookstore　as　if　trying　to　gauge　the　strength　of　its　air…conditioning。　The　heat

shimmered　off　the　pavement　in　waves　and　Dan　pushed　his　long；　straggly　brown　hair　back　from　his

forehead　with　one　hand。

For　the　past　few　days；　he？d　bailed　on　the　shifts　that　overlapped　with　Greg？s　in　an　attempt　to

postpone　their　inevitable　talk。　He　just　didn？t　know　what　tosay　when　Greg　told　him　he　wanted　to

be　more　serious；　moreofficial　。　Avoidance　had　seemed　like　a　good　plan；　but　then　this　morning　his

boss　had　threatened　to　fire　him　if　he　didn？t　e　in；　so　he？d　spent　the　day　in　stealth　mode；　hiding

out　in　the　gardening　section　and　ducking　behind　bookshelves　whenever　he　heard　footsteps

approaching。

？Hello　Daniel。？　An　unfamiliar；　elderly　voice　startled　him。

He　looked　up　from　his　perch　on　the　sidewalk　and　recognized　Aggie；　the　seventysomething

receptionist　at　Riverside　Prep　who　wore　a　different　wig　every　day。　Today　it　was　black　and　curly；

sort　of　like　Ernie？s　hair　fromSesame　Street。

？Hello　Aggie；？　Dan　mumbled。　This　was　the　problem　with　New　York？you　couldn？t　get　a　second

of　peace　and　quiet　without　running　into　someone　you　knew。　Aggie