she replied with mock severity. “But I’ll accept it as a working definition, at least for the time being.” I was relieved. “Great, that’s settled then.” I looked at the clock radio on the nightstand. “Damn, almost noon! I’ve got to be back at work by one. Are you hungry?” “Yeah,” she admitted. “I was so excited getting up this morning and getting ready for the trip I forgot to eat breakfast.” “Great! Let’s go down to Herb’s on Twenty-Fourth Street. It’s only a greasy spoon, but you can get a great breakfast there any time of the day for cheap. It’s just a block down the street.” So we left the house arm in arm. At Herb’s we sat on stools at the counter and devoured the $1.99 eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast breakfast and reveled in that wonderful invention known as the bottomless coffee cup. Then I showed her the shopping district on 24th Street between Church and Castro. All too soon it was time for me to hop on the J and go back to work. “You got your key, right? See you about five-thirty,” I told her as I boarded the streetcar. “Don’t worry about me,” she replied. “I’m a big girl now. I’m just going to walk around for a while and get to know the neighborhood. See you later, lover!” she called out archly and blew me a kiss, causing me to cover my face with an old Bay Guardian newspaper to hide my embarrassment. The next two weeks were a blur of images, impressions, recollections, emotions. When I wasn’t working I spent every waking moment with her and, of course, every sleeping one as well. None of us three guys ~
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