12/09/00: At Cinema Classics, Friday Night
They have comfy chairs at Cinema Classics. It’s like a cool living room. They have cookies, coffee, wine, and tuna fish sandwiches here, and the walls are covered with framed posters of weird foreign movies.
Emma takes the cigarette from behind her ear and lights it. I guess she hasn’t quit, after all. I take another bite of my bagel. It is remarkably tasty.
“I hate my job,” says Emma.
“Which one?” I ask, and take a sip of my Rolling Rock. Beer and a bagel at 11 pm, it’s like all three meals at once.
“Well I hate both jobs. But I really hate working at the bakery.”
“Aren’t you taking off from there for a while?”
“Yeah,” says Emma. “I told Auby that I needed off until the sixteenth because my mom was having some tests and I wanted to be there for her.”
“That’s a lie, right?”
“Hell yeah,” says Emma. “Then on the sixteenth I’m going to call and say that the tests came back bad or whatever, and that she needs to have surgery.”
“Oh, dude,” I say.
“Dude,” says Emma, and grabs a bit of my bagel. “Then if I really don’t want to go back after the holidays, I’ll just tell them my mom died.”
“Oh, dude,” I say. “Come on!”
“Why does everyone think that’s so awful?” says Emma. “I’m not like, killing my mom or anything.”
“It’s just too funny,” I say.
“Yeah, and really, if you have to lie, you have to lie,” says Emma.
“Can I write this on my website?” I ask. “Just write up exactly what you said? I think it’s too funny.”
“Sure,” says Emma. “If you think anyone would give a shit.”
You should know that sometimes you do have to lie. I just lied a little bit. Amy was also there, but that made the conversation less clear to read. And Emma never took any of my bagel.