“Go on,” she pleaded. “If you know why it is, tell me.”
I cleared my throat. Neither of them looked up.
He said, “It’s because, my dear, you have such a fine mind. You can’t be interested in the mediocre banalities of adolescent conversation. Despite your beautiful body and your very evident youth, it’s quite apparent that you—”
I backed up a few steps, coughed loudly, and came walking toward the table.
Marilyn said, “We thought we’d lost you.”
“I went to buy some cigarettes.”
“I’ll take one,” she said.
Hale kept looking at her while I opened the package.
“How’s the pinball machine?” Marilyn asked.
“Pretty fair. I won a few.”