It's Superman! A Novel by Tom De Haven

Author:Tom De Haven [Haven, Tom De]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780345496751
Publisher: Del Rey
Published: 2011-01-10T19:50:39+00:00

2

But Skinny Simon (now Skinny Brunner) doesn’t meet Willi Berg at his bungalow this Tuesday afternoon. Because today is special, a celebration day, and they’ve agreed to meet at noon at Rancho La Brea on Wilshire Boulevard east of Fairfax. After they have a stroll around the famous bubbling tar pits and then walk into Hancock Park to look at the prehistoric statuary, they’ll go grab lunch. Well, no, they won’t just “grab lunch”; today Willi is taking her to a nice restaurant. Which is why he’s disappointed when Skinny shows up in her nursing whites. He understands why, but still. She is supposed to be down at the Kernville camp today, so it might’ve looked suspicious if she left home in anything but her uniform. Even so, Willi would have liked Skinny to dress up a little. Not that he has. He’s wearing black whipcords, canvas shoes, and a threadbare gray suit jacket over a black shirt with snaps and white piping at the breast pockets.

Skinny has been living in L.A. less than three months, and this is her first visit to the tar pits. Willi has been a resident of Hollywood for eight months, but he’s never been there, either. The tar is amazing (though it looks more like murky water, and the stench of congealed oil is pretty brutal), but they can’t really concentrate on the tour; they’re both too eager to sit down on a bench and look at the contents of Willi’s manila envelope. So they do.

The envelope contains his contributor’s copy of the new Odelle’s of Paris and Hollywood lingerie catalog, which features pictures of Skinny all the way through it modeling peek-a-boo brassieres and frilly corsets, garter belts, bustiers, nylons, and negligees for the full-figured woman.

Skinny laughs as she turns through the coated pages, attracting the attention of several tourists, a few of whom peek at the open magazine and are startled by what they see. “These are great,” says Skinny.

“Well sure,” says Willi, then he draws out a business envelope from the inside pocket of his coat. “And let’s not forget this.”

“Oh God! Did they really pay you?”

“Of course they paid me. I said this was legit, it’s legit. Say, doll, that guy at Odelle’s thinks you ought to find an agent. Just by the way.”

“What guy?”

“The guy. That hired me. The art director. He says you ought to take this”—tapping the catalog—“and go find yourself an agent.”

“I don’t know, Willi . . .”

“I’m just passing on what he said. He also wants to know if you’re interested in any glamour work. I told him to ask you himself.”

“You didn’t give him my home number, did you?”

“No. Or your name, either. But what? You’re never going to tell Charlie?”

“I will, I will.” Skinny frowns and takes another pass at the catalog. She points to one picture. “I always thought I had a mole there.”

“You do,” says Willi. “I think it’s sexy, but they wanted it off.” Then he looks past Skinny and frowns.

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