I put my glass down and excuse myself through the crowd to the food table. She’s not there. I look around. Still. Maybe in the bedroom. I open the door. No light’s on and only the cat’s there lying on the dresser and eating what looks like a sock. Maybe she left. I close the bedroom door and see her coming out the front door. Her coat’s on. Her fur hat. She’s going over to Diana. As she goes she glances at me. She’s alone, though her companion could be in the hallway, struggling with his rubbers. I’ll keep my eyes on her from this ten-foot distance. After she says goodbye to Diana and maybe others I’ll catch up with her on the stairs. I’ll say “Wait.” She’ll say “What?” I’ll say “I’m sorry I waited so long to speak to you, to introduce myself to you, those are what I’m sorry for. You can’t believe the number of excuses I gave myself for not going over and speaking to you and the conversations I imagined we had here and you’ll later have about me, even one where you’d now say something to me like ‘I’ve no idea what you mean.”’ No. I’ll say “Wait.” She’ll say “What?” I’ll say “You’re obviously going, that’s obvious, and I only wish I’d spoken to you sooner.” “Same here,” she might say. That’d be great. Or “Excuse me, sir, but do l know you? Because when I saw you staring at me before I thought maybe I did from some time back or that you were just putting on the make.” I move to them. Diana says to her “Oh no, not so soon.” “What can I do? I told you about the other party.” “Delay it.” “Wish I could.” “But this one’s really just starting. People’ll see you leave, they all might go. You speak to any old friends? But you haven’t time to talk. I’ll call tomorrow.” “If you don’t, I’ll get in touch with you.” “Actually, do that, since I’ll probably forget by the end of tonight everyone I promised to call tomorrow. Goodnight, Helene. I’m sorry you couldn’t stay.” She called her Helene. They kiss cheeks and Helene turns to the door without seeing me. I start over to her. She walks to the door. I continue after her. We’re going at the same pace. Someone says “Dan.” I turn around. It was to another Dan. I continue. She’s out the door and heading for the stairs. I’m about ten feet behind her. “You’re not going also, Dan,” Diana says. Helene, snapping her fingers, steps back and reaches for the umbrella and sees me. I turn to Diana. “No, excuse me,” and then to Helene “Hold it, please wait.” “Me?” she says, pulling out an umbrella. “Yes, don’t move, at least not off this floor. I want to speak to you. It’s important. Someone we both know.”
“I’m a bit in a rush.”
“It’ll only take a second.” I turn back to Diana. “No, I was only going to speak to Helene.”
“You know her?”
“No.”
“But you know her name.”
“I overheard it.”
“Want to be introduced?”
“Um, I don’t know. Yes, could you? No, it’s okay.” I look past the door. She’s holding an umbrella, eyebrows raised as Diana’s were before but hers wanting to know how long she must wait and what for. “Listen, Diana, I’ll be right back.”
“That’s good. I don’t want all my guests leaving so soon after the party began, even though I know Helene has to.”
I walk into the hallway. “Excuse me. I was looking at you before.”
“And I was looking at you. You’re apparently a good friend of Diana’s.”
“Probably not as good as you two are. I met her this summer.”
“At Yaddo?”
“How’d you know?”
“I knew she went and Diana always meets two to three new people there who become her good friends. Half the people inside are from there.”
“That so? You too?”
“Maybe half’s an exaggeration, but quite a number of them.”
“And you?”
“They don’t take people in my work.”
“Oh yes? What’s that?”
“Whatever it is, what did you want to speak to me about? Someone you said we both know?”
“That was a lie or fib.”
“I thought it was.” She’s taken her gloves out of her coat pocket and is putting one on.
“You’re in a hurry.”
“A hurry hurry. As a matter of fact I’m already late. I wish I hadn’t had this engagement from so far back. But I did, so I really went out of my way to spend an hour here.”
“That’s how long you’ve been here?”
“About. But I’m really in a hurry. I don’t mean to sound curt, but was there something in particular you wanted to say?”
“No, nothing. I just thought it’d be nice to speak to you. I have since I first saw you.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure, but, well, I have to admit I thought something along the same lines about you.”
“Good. Where are you off to now?”
“A wedding reception. A very dear friend’s.”
“That’s nice. I like weddings and receptions.”
“I don’t especially. Are you married?”
“Never been.”
