Summer and the City (7 page)

I stomp down the sidewalk to Samantha’s building, take the stairs two at a time, unlock the three bolts, and fling myself onto her bed. Which makes me feel, once again, like an interloper. It’s a four-poster with a black coverlet and what Samantha calls silk sheets, which, she claims, prevent wrinkles. Except they’re really made of some kind of super slippery polyester and I have to push my foot against one of the posts to keep from sliding onto the floor.

I grab a pillow and put it over my head. I think about Viktor Greene and Bernard. I think about how I’m all alone. How I’m constantly having to pull myself up from the depths of despair, trying to convince myself to try one more time. I bury my face deeper into the pillow.

Maybe I should give up. Go back home. And in two months, I’ll go to Brown.

My throat closes at the thought of leaving New York. Am I going to allow what Viktor Greene said to cause me to quit? I have to talk to someone. But who?

That girl. The one with the red hair. The one who found my Carrie bag. She seems like the kind of person who would have something to say about my situation. She hates life, and right now, I do too.

What was her name, again? Miranda. Miranda Hobbes. “H-o-b-b-e-s.” I hear her voice in my head.

I pick up the phone and dial information.

Chapter Nine

“All men are a disappointment. No matter what anyone says.” Miranda Hobbes glares at the cover of
Cosmopolitan.
“‘How to Get Him and Keep Him,’” she says, reading the cover line aloud in disgust.

She places the magazine back in the rack. “Even if you could get Him—and why do they always capitalize His name like He’s God—I can personally guarantee He wouldn’t be worth keeping.”

“What about Paul Newman?” I count out four dollars and hand the money to the cashier. “I’m sure he’s worth keeping. Joanne Woodward thinks so.”

“First of all, no one knows what goes on between two people in a marriage. And secondly, he’s an actor. Which means by definition he’s a narcissist.” She looks at the package of chicken thighs doubtfully. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

I put the chicken thighs, rice, and the tomato into a bag, feigning ignorance about her concerns. Truth is, I’m a little worried about the chicken myself. Besides being minuscule, the supermarket is none too clean. Maybe that’s why no one cooks in New York. “Don’t you think everyone’s a narcissist?” I ask. “I have this theory that all anyone ever really thinks about is themself. It’s human nature.”

“Is this human nature?” Miranda demands, still absorbed by the rack of magazines. “‘How to De-dimple Your Thighs in Thirty Days.’ ‘Kissable Lips.’ ‘How to Tell What He’s Really Thinking.’ I can tell you what he’s really thinking.
Nothing.
”

I laugh, partly because she’s probably right, and partly because I’m in the giddy throes of a new friendship.

It’s my second Saturday in New York, and what no one tells you is how the city empties out on the weekends. Samantha goes to the Hamptons with Charlie, and even L’il said she was going to the Adirondacks. I told myself I didn’t mind. I’d had enough excitement for the week, and besides, I had to write.

And I did work, for a few hours, anyway. Then I started to feel lonely. I decided there must be a particular kind of lonely in New York, because once you start thinking about all the millions of people out there eating or shopping or going to movies or museums with friends, it’s pretty depressing not to be one of them.

I tried calling Maggie, who’s spending the summer in South Carolina, but her sister said she was at the beach. Then I tried Walt. He was in Provincetown. I even called my father. But all he said was how much I must be looking forward to Brown in the fall and he’d talk more but he had an appointment.

I wished I could tell him what a hard time I was having with my writing class, but it would have been pointless. He’s never been interested in my writing anyway, convinced it’s a phase I’ll get over when I go to Brown.

Then I looked through Samantha’s closet. I found a pair of neon-blue Fiorucci boots that I particularly coveted, and even tried them on, but they were too big. I also discovered an old leather biker jacket that appeared to be from her former life—whatever that was.

I tried Miranda Hobbes again. I’d actually tried her three times since Thursday, but there was no answer.

But apparently she doesn’t protest on Saturdays, because she picked up the phone on the first ring.

“Hello?” she asked suspiciously.

“Miranda? It’s Carrie Bradshaw.”

“Oh.”

“I was wondering . . . what are you doing right now? Do you want to get a cup of coffee or something?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh,” I said again, disappointed.

I guess she felt sorry for me, because she asked, “Where do you live?”

“Chelsea?”

“I’m on Bank Street. There’s a coffee shop around the corner. As long as I don’t have to take the subway, I guess I could meet you.”

We spent two hours at the coffee shop, discovering all kinds of things we had in common. Like we both went to our local high schools. And we both loved the book
The Consensus
as kids. When I told her I knew the author, Mary Gordon Howard, she laughed. “Somehow, I knew you were the type who would.” And over yet another cup of coffee, we began to have that magical, unspoken realization that we were going to be friends.

Then we decided we were hungry, but also admitted we didn’t have any money. Hence my plan to cook us dinner.

“Why do magazines do this to women?” Miranda complains now, glaring at
Vogue
. “It’s all about creating insecurity. Trying to make women feel like they’re not good enough. And when women don’t feel like they’re good enough, guess what?”

“What?” I ask, picking up the grocery bag.

“Men win. That’s how they keep us down,” she concludes.

“Except the problem with women’s magazines is that they’re written by women,” I point out.

“That only shows you how deep this thing goes. Men have made women coconspirators in their own oppression. I mean, if you spend all your time worrying about leg hair, how can you possibly have time to take over the world?”

I want to point out that shaving your legs takes about five minutes, leaving plenty of time for world-taking-over, but I know she only means it as a rhetorical question.

“Are you sure your roommate won’t mind my coming over?” she asks.

“She’s not really my roommate. She’s engaged. She lives with her boyfriend. She’s in the Hamptons anyway.”

“Lucky you,” Miranda says as we start up the five flights of stairs to the apartment. By the third flight, she’s panting. “How do you do this every day?”

“It’s better than living with Peggy.”

“That Peggy sounds like a nightmare. People like that should be in therapy.”

“She probably is, and it’s not working.”

“Then she needs to find a new shrink,” Miranda says, puffing. “I could recommend mine.”

“You see a shrink?” I ask, startled, fitting my key into the lock.

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“No. Why would I?”

“Because everyone needs to see a shrink. Otherwise you keep repeating the same unhealthy patterns.”

“But what if you don’t have unhealthy patterns?” I throw open the door and Miranda stumbles in. She flops onto the futon.

“Thinking you don’t have unhealthy patterns is an unhealthy pattern in itself. And everyone has something unhealthy from their childhood. If you don’t deal with it, it can ruin your life.”

I open the cantilevered doors to reveal the small kitchen and place the grocery bag onto the few inches of counter space next to the tiny sink. “What’s yours?” I ask.

“My mother.”

I find a bent skillet in the oven, pour in some oil, and light one of the two burners with a match. “How do you know all this stuff?”

“My father’s a shrink. And my mother is a perfectionist. She used to spend an hour every morning styling my hair before I went to school. Which is why I cut it and dyed it as soon as I could get away from her. My father says she suffers from guilt. But I say she’s a classic narcissist. Everything is about her. Including me.”

“But she’s your mother,” I say, placing the chicken thighs in the hot oil.

“And I hate her. Which is okay, because she hates me, too. I don’t fit into her narrow idea of what a daughter should be. What about your mother?”

I pause, but she doesn’t seem all that interested in the answer. She’s examining the collection of photographs Samantha keeps on the side table, with the zeal of an anthropologist who has suddenly discovered an old piece of pottery. “Is this the woman who lives here? Christ, is she an egomaniac or what? She’s in every photograph.”

“It
is
her apartment.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird when someone has photographs of themselves all over the place? It’s like they’re trying to prove they exist.”

“I don’t know her that well.”

“What is she?” Miranda sneers. “An actress? A model? Who has five photographs of themselves in a bikini?”

“She’s in advertising.”

“Another business designed to make women feel insecure.”

She gets up and comes into the kitchen. “Where’d you learn to cook?”

“I sort of had to.”

“My mother tried to teach me, but I refused. I rejected anything that could turn me into a housewife.” She leans over the skillet. “That smells pretty good though.”

“It will be,” I say, adding two inches of water to the pan. When it boils, I pour in the rice, add the tomato, then turn down the heat and cover the skillet. “And it’s cheap. We get a whole meal for four dollars.”

“Which reminds me.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out two one-dollar bills. “My share. I hate owing anyone anything. Don’t you?”

We go back into the living room and curl up on either end of the couch. We light cigarettes, and I inhale contemplatively. “What if I can’t become a writer and I have to get married, instead. What if I have to ask my husband for money? I couldn’t do it. I’d hate myself.”

“Marriage turns women into whores,” Miranda declares. “The whole thing is a sham.”

“That’s what I think too!” I can hardly believe I’ve found someone who shares my secret suspicions. “But if you let people know, they want to kill you. They hate the truth.”

“That’s what happens to women when they go against the system.” Miranda fumbles awkwardly with her cigarette. I can tell she’s not really a smoker, but maybe, because everyone else in New York smokes, she’s trying it out. “And I, for one, plan to do something about it,” she continues, coughing.

“What?”

“Haven’t decided yet. But I will.” She narrows her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re going to be a writer. You can change people’s perceptions. You should write about marriage and what a lie it is. Or even sex.”

“Sex?” I grind my cigarette out in the ashtray.

“Sex. It’s the biggest sham of all. I mean, your whole life, all you ever hear is how you’re supposed to save yourself for marriage. And how it’s so special. And then you finally do it. And you’re like,
that’s it
? This is what everyone’s been raving about?”

“You’re kidding.”

“Come on,” she says. “You’ve done it.”

I grimace. “Actually, I haven’t.”

“Really?” She’s surprised. Then pragmatic. “Well, it doesn’t make a bit of difference. You’re not missing anything. In fact, if you haven’t done it, I would recommend not doing it. Ever.” She pauses. “And the worst thing about it? Once you do it, you have to
keep
doing it. Because the guy expects you to.”

“Why’d you do it in the first place?” I ask, lighting another cigarette.

“Pressure. I had the same boyfriend all through high school. Although, I have to admit, I was curious.”

“And?”

“Everything but ‘it’ is fine,” she says matter-of-factly. “‘It’ itself is boring as hell. That’s what no one tells you. How boring it is. And it hurts.”

“I have a friend who did it for the first time and loved it. She said she had an actual orgasm.”

“From intercourse?” Miranda yelps. “She’s lying. Everyone knows women cannot have an orgasm from intercourse only.”

“Then why does everyone do it?”

“Because they have to,” she practically screams. “And then you just lie there, waiting for it to be over. The only good thing about it is that it only lasts a minute or two.”

“Maybe you have to do it a lot to like it.”

“Nope. I’ve done it at least twenty times, and each time it was as bad as the first.” She crosses her arms. “You’ll see. And it doesn’t matter who you do it with. I did it with another guy six months ago to make sure it wasn’t me, and it was just as lousy.”

“What about with an older guy?” I ask, thinking about Bernard. “A guy with experience—”

“How old?”

“Thirty?”

“That’s even worse,” she declares. “His thing could be all wrinkly. There’s nothing more disgusting than a wrinkly thing.”

“Have you ever seen one?” I ask.

“Nope. And I hope I never have to.”

“Well,” I say, laughing. “What if I do it and I like it? Then what?”

Miranda snickers, as if this is not a possibility. She jabs her finger at Samantha’s photograph. “I bet even she thinks it’s boring. She looks like she likes it, but I promise you, she’s pretending. Just like every other goddamn woman on the planet.”

Part Two

Bite the Big Apple

Chapter Ten

Bernard!

“He called me,” I sing to myself like a little bird, skipping down Forty-fifth Street into the Theater District. Apparently, he did call my old apartment and Peggy told him I no longer lived there and she didn’t know where I was. And then Peggy had the gall to ask Bernard if she could audition for his new play. Bernard coldly suggested she call his casting director, and suddenly, Peggy’s memory as to my whereabouts mysteriously returned. “She’s staying with a friend of hers. Cindy? Samantha?”

Just as I’d given up hope of him calling me on his own, Bernard, bless his soul, managed to put two and two together and rang me first.

“Can you meet me at the theater around lunchtime tomorrow?” he asked.

Bernard sure has some odd ideas about what constitutes a date. But he is a wunderkind, so perhaps he lives outside the rules.

The Theater District is so exciting, even during the day. There are the flashing lights of Broadway, the cute little restaurants, and the seedy theaters promising “LIVE GIRLS,” which makes me scratch my head. Would anyone want dead ones?

And then on to Shubert Alley. It’s only a narrow street, but I can’t help imagining what it would be like to have my own play performed in this theater. If that happened, it would mean everything in my life was perfect.

As per Bernard’s instructions, I enter through the stage door. It’s nothing special—just a dingy lobby with gray cement walls and peeling linoleum on the floor and a man stationed behind a little window that slides open. “Bernard Singer?” I ask.

The guard looks up from his
Post
, his face a map of veins. “Here to audition?” he asks, taking down a clipboard.

“No, I’m a friend.”

“Ah. You’re the young lady. Carrie Bradshaw.”

“That’s right.”

“He said he was expecting you. He’s out, but he’ll be back soon. He said I should take you on a backstage tour.”

“Yes, please,” I exclaim. The Shubert Theatre
. A Chorus Line
. Backstage!

“Ever been here before?”

“No!” I can’t keep the squeal of excitement out of my voice.

“Mr. Shubert founded the theater in 1913.” The guard pulls apart a heavy black curtain to reveal the stage. “Katharine Hepburn performed here in 1939.
The Philadelphia Story.
”

“On this very stage?”

“Used to stand right where you are now, every evening, before her first entrance. ‘Jimmy,’ she’d say, ‘how’s the house tonight?’ And I’d say, ‘All the better for you being here, Miss Hepburn.’”

“Jimmy,” I plead. “Could I—”

He smiles, catching my enthusiasm. “Only for a second. No one’s allowed on that stage who ain’t union—”

And before he can change his mind, I’m crossing the boards, looking out at the house. I stride to the footlights and take in row after row of velvet chairs, the balconies, the luxurious boxes on the side. And for a moment, I imagine the theater filled with people, all there to see little ol’ me.

I fling out my arms. “Hello, New York!”

“Oh my.” I hear a deep, throaty laugh, followed by the sound of one person clapping. I turn around in horror, and there, in the wings, is Bernard, wearing sunglasses, an open white shirt, and Gucci loafers. Next to him is the clapper, whom I immediately recognize as the actress Margie Shephard. His ex-wife. What the hell is she doing here? And what must she think of me, after witnessing my little performance?

It doesn’t take long to find out, because the next thing she says is, “I see a star is born,” in a flinty voice.

“Take it easy, Margie,” Bernard says, having the sense to at least sound slightly annoyed by her.

“Hello. I’m Carrie.” I hold out my hand.

She does me the honor of shaking it, but doesn’t provide her own name, confident that I already know who she is. I think I’ll always remember what her hand feels like—the long, smooth fingers, the palm, warm and firm. Someday I’ll probably even say, “I met Margie Shephard. I shook her hand and she was amazing.”

Margie opens her mouth prettily, and emits a sly laugh. “Well, well,” she says.

Nobody can say, “Well, well,” and get away with it, except Margie Shephard. I can’t stop gaping at her. She isn’t technically beautiful, but has some kind of inner light that makes you think she’s one of the most attractive women you’ve ever seen.

I totally understand why Bernard married her. What I can’t understand is why he isn’t
still
married to her.

I don’t stand a chance.

“Nice to meet you,” Margie says, with a whisper of a wink at Bernard.

“Me too.” I stumble over the words. Margie probably thinks I’m an idiot.

She twinkles at Bernard. “We’ll continue this discussion later.”

“I suggest we don’t continue it at all,” Bernard mutters. Apparently he isn’t as starstruck by her as I am.

“I’ll call you.” Again, there’s the pretty smile, and the eyes that seem to know everything. “Good-bye, Carrie.”

“Good-bye.” I’m suddenly disappointed to see her go.

Bernard and I watch as she strides through the hallway, one hand caressing the back of her neck—a poignant reminder to Bernard of what he’s missing.

I swallow, prepared to apologize for my little show, but instead of being embarrassed, Bernard grabs me under my arms and presses me to him, spinning me around like a child. He kisses me all over my face. “Am I glad to see you, kiddo. You’ve got great timing. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“No—”

“You do. If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t have been able to get rid of her. C’mon.” He grabs my hand and briskly leads me out the other end of the alley like a madman on a mission. “It’s you, baby,” he says. “When I saw you, it suddenly made sense.”

“Sense?” I ask breathlessly, trying to keep up, confused about his sudden adoration. It’s what I’d been hoping for, but now that he actually seems smitten, I’m a bit wary.

“Margie is over. Finished. I’m moving on.” We come out on Forty-fourth Street and head to Fifth Avenue. “You’re a woman. Where can I buy some furniture?”

“Furniture?” I laugh. “I have no idea.”

“Someone’s got to know. Excuse me.” He accosts a nicely dressed lady in pearls. “Where’s the best place to buy furniture around here?”

“What kind of furniture?” she asks, as if this kind of encounter with a stranger is perfectly normal.

“A table. And some sheets. And maybe a couch.”

“Bloomingdale’s,” she says, and moves on.

Bernard looks down at me. “You busy this afternoon? Got time to do some furniture shopping?”

“Sure.” It wasn’t exactly the romantic lunch I had in mind, but so what?

We jump into a cab. “Bloomingdale’s,” Bernard directs the driver. “And make it fast. We need to buy sheets.”

The cabbie smiles. “You two lovebirds getting married?”

“The opposite. I’m officially getting unmarried,” Bernard says, and squeezes my leg.

When we get to Bloomingdale’s, Bernard and I run around the fifth floor like two little kids, trying out the beds, bouncing on the sofas, pretending to drink tea from the china display. One of the salesmen recognizes Bernard (“Oh, Mr. Singer. It’s an honor. Will you sign this sales slip for my mother?”) and follows us around like a puppy.

Bernard buys a dining room set, a brown leather couch and ottoman, an armoire, and a pile of pillows, sheets, and towels. “Can I have it delivered right away?”

“Normally, no,” the salesman simpers. “But for you, Mr. Singer, I’ll try.”

“Now what?” I ask Bernard.

“We go to my apartment and wait.”

“I still don’t understand why Margie took the furniture,” I say as we stroll up Fifty-ninth Street.

“To punish me, I suppose.”

“But I thought she was the one who left,” I venture, carefully avoiding the word “cheated.”

“Chickadee, don’t you know anything about women? Fair play doesn’t enter into their vocabulary.”

“Not all women. I would never be like that. I’d be reasonable.”

“That’s what’s so great about you. You’re unspoiled.” Still holding hands, we breeze into his building, right past the nasty doorman. Take that, buddy, I think. In the apartment, Bernard puts on a record. Frank Sinatra. “Let’s dance,” he says. “I want to celebrate.”

“I can’t dance to this.”

“Sure you can.” He opens his arms. I rest one hand on his shoulder the way we learned to do in ballroom dancing classes, a million years ago when I was thirteen. He pulls me tighter, his breath scorching my neck. “I like you, Carrie Bradshaw. I really do. Do you think you can like me back?”

“Of course,” I giggle. “If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t dance with you.”

“I don’t believe that’s true. I think you’d dance with a man and when you got tired of him, you’d dance with another.”

“Never.” I twist my head to look at his face. His eyes are closed, his expression beatific. I still can’t fathom his new attitude. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was falling in love with me.

Or maybe he’s falling in love with the idea of falling in love with me. Maybe he wants to be in love with someone and I’ve ended up in the right place at the right time.

And suddenly, I’m nervous. If Bernard were to fall in love with me, I’d never be able to live up to his expectations. I’d end up being a disappointment. And what am I going to do if he tries to have sex with me?

“I want to know what happened,” I say, trying to change the subject. “Between you and Margie.”

“I told you what happened,” he murmurs.

“I meant this afternoon. What were you arguing about?”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not.”

“The apartment,” he says. “We were arguing about the apartment. She wants it back and I said no.”

“She wants the apartment, too?” I ask, astounded.

“She might have convinced me if it weren’t for you.” He takes my hand and twirls me around and around. “When I saw you on that stage, I thought, That’s a sign.”

“What kind of sign?”

“A sign that I should put my life back together. Buy furniture. Make this place my home again.”

He lets go of my hand but I keep spinning and spinning until I collapse to the floor. I lie still as the bare room revolves around me and for a moment I picture myself in an insane asylum, in a white space with no furniture. I close my eyes, and when I open them again, Bernard’s face is hovering above mine. He has pretty eyelashes and a crease on either side of his mouth. A small mole is buried in the hair of his right eyebrow. “Crazy, crazy girl,” he whispers, before he leans in to kiss me.

I allow myself to be carried away by the kiss. Bernard’s mouth envelops mine, absorbing all reality until life seems to consist only of these lips and tongues engaged in a funny dance of their own.

I freeze.

And suddenly, I’m suffocating. I put my hands on Bernard’s shoulders. “I can’t.”

“Something I said?” His lips close back over mine. My heart races. An artery throbs in my neck. I wriggle away.

He sits back on his haunches. “Too intense?”

I fan my face and laugh a little. “Maybe.”

“You’re not used to guys like me.”

“I guess not!” I stand up and brush myself off.

There’s a clap of thunder outside. Bernard comes up behind me, pushing my hair aside to mouth my neck. “Have you ever made love in a thunderstorm?”

“Not yet.” I giggle, trying to put him off.

“Maybe it’s time you did.”

Oh no. Right now? Is this the moment? My body trembles. I don’t think I can do it. I’m not prepared.

Bernard massages my shoulders. “Relax.” He leans in and nibbles my earlobe.

If I do it with him now, he’s going to compare me to Margie. I imagine them having sex all the time, in this apartment. I picture Margie kissing Bernard with an intensity that matches his, like in the movies. Then I see myself lying naked on that bare mattress, my arms and legs splayed out stiffly to the side.

Why didn’t I do it with Sebastian when I had the chance? At least I’d know how to do it. I never guessed someone like Bernard would come along. A grown man who obviously assumes his girlfriend has sex regularly and wants to do it all the time.

“C’mon,” he says gently, pulling at my hand.

I balk and he squints at me. “Don’t you want to make love?”

“I do,” I say quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “It’s just that—”

“Yes?”

“I forgot my birth control.”

“Oh.” He drops my hand and laughs. “What do you use? A diaphragm?”

I blush. “Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh.” I nod.

“A diaphragm’s a pain. And it’s messy. With the cream. You use a cream with it, right?”

“Yes.” I mentally pedal backward to the health classes we had in high school. I picture the diaphragm, a funny little object that looks like a rubber cap. But I don’t recall any mention of cream.

“Why don’t you go on the pill? It’s so much easier.”

“I will. Yes indeedy.” I agree vigorously. “I keep meaning to get a prescription but—”

“I know. You don’t want to take the pill until you know the relationship is serious.”

My throat goes dry. Is this relationship serious? Am I ready for it? But in the next second, Bernard is lying on the bed, and has turned on the TV. Is it my imagination, or does he look slightly relieved?

“C’mere, puddy tat,” he says, patting the spot next to him. He holds out his hands. “Do you think my nails are too long?”

“Too long for what?” I frown.

“Seriously,” he says.

I take his hand in mine, running my fingers over the palm. His hands are lovely and lean, and I can’t help thinking about those hands on my body. The sexiest part of a man is his hands. If a man has girlish hands, it doesn’t matter what the rest of him is like. “They are, a little.”

“Could you cut them and file them for me?” he asks.

What?

“Margie used to do it for me,” he explains. My heart softens. He’s so sweet. I had no idea a man could be so cozy. But it’s not surprising, given my limited experience with romance.

Bernard goes into the bathroom to get clippers and a nail file. I look around the spare bedroom. Poor Bernard, I think, for the hundredth time.

“Primate grooming,” he says when he returns. He sits across from me, and I begin carefully clipping his nails. I can hear the rain drumming on the awning below while I file rhythmically, the motion and the rain putting me into a soothing trance. Bernard strokes my arm and then my face as I lean over his hand.