boyfriend, Gary, was a third year law student, clerking at a large firm on Madison Avenue. He was also a huge music fan, and he and Michael would get into long, rambling discussions of obscure bands, European bands, and techno-music. Gary was twenty-five. Rachel and Diane slipped back into their old relationship, much to Diane’s relief.
By the first week of August, Michael and David Go began to try to figure out what Toronto would be like for them. David thought they would need six weeks to record the score, at least. The tracks for NinetySeven were almost complete. Joey and Seth would produce the rest of the soundtrack, so Michael would not be needed for any further recording. Gordon Prescott did not believe in time off. Michael knew it would be a grueling time, not only physically, but he would be away from Diane. Thank God it’s only Toronto, he thought. He could fly back easily enough, for a day at a time. And she could fly up to see him on the weekends.
“What are you doing?”
Diane was in his bedroom, on her mat. “It’s called the Gate Pose.”
“Yoga? I didn’t know you did yoga.”
“Hey, a girl is entitled to a few secrets, you know?”
“Sure. Okay, what’s that one?”
“Downward Facing Dog.”
“Really? It looks like Take Me From Behind.”
She collapsed on the mat in a fit of giggles. “Michael, I was trying to focus.”
“Me too. I gotta tell you, that is a very good look for you.”
She wiped her neck and chest with a towel that she threw into the colorful tote bag she carried back and forth to his house.
“You’re taking home your towel? Why?”
She threw him a look. “I don’t want one of your minions doing my laundry.”
“Minions? I don’t have minions.”
“Of course you do. You have a person for everything around here.”
“No.”
“No? Then who does your laundry?”
He grinned. “I take it downstairs, knock on the secret panel, give the password, a blind, one-eyed gypsy takes it, and the next day, it reappears in the closet. Isn’t that how everybody does it?”
She had rolled up her mat, and now swatted him playfully with it. “You are impossible.”
He grabbed her. “Maybe. But since you’re all hot and sweaty anyway, want to try that Downward Dog thing again?”
“Tomorrow night I’ll be staying at my place,” she told him, stretching her legs out in front of her. They were out on the terrace of Michael’s house, sipping wine, watching the sun set over the lake. Diane had cooked dinner for them. “Sharon’s got the girls together. We’re all hitting the town.”
“Ah. The mythical Girls Night Out. What is it you all do together, anyway?”
“Well, we’re currently plotting to take over the world by manipulating the stock market to resurrect all the tech stocks, which we’ve been secretly buying up all year long. Then we’ll sacrifice a couple of chickens, and drink and dance naked around a statue of Simone de Beauvoir.”
Michael raised his eyebrows and nodded. “That’s what I would have guessed.”
Diane smiled. “We’ll go to Maxwell’s, probably. We can walk there, so we can all drink, and we’ll probably dance, but with our clothes on.”
“What a disappointment.”
“Then we’ll sit around and drink some more and talk about our kids and our jobs and complain about men.”
“Complain about men?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s inevitable.”
“God. You all are going to crucify me, right?”
“No.” Diane patted his hand. “You’re the new guy. I promise we’ll be very kind to you.”
“Gee thanks. I like your friend Sharon, but I would not want to be on her bad side.”
“Don’t worry. She likes you too. She thinks you’re cute. And besides, you told her you could get her Lyle Lovett’s autograph.”
“Oh, I did, didn’t I? I’d better not forget. I’ll call him this week.”
“You’d better, ‘cause you’re right about Sharon. You don’t want to get on her bad side.”
There were five of them, sitting at an outside table at Maxwell’s, waiting for the band to start playing again. They had met at Sharon’s and walked the six blocks, and were all feeling no pain. Ginny Smith, the youngest of the group at 36, was pouring margaritas from a pitcher. Carol Coopersmith, divorced and always on the look-out, had been flirting with the waiter. Sharon had a fight with Richie before leaving and was feeling feisty. Sue and Diane had been giggling all night.
They had spent the first part of the evening catching up, comparing vacations, the kids, and the heat. When the band had started playing, they all got