Not Buying It by Judith Levine

Author:Judith Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio
Published: 2006-09-20T04:00:00+00:00

At around seven, Jon and Beth, Amy, her second (now ex-) husband, Jeff, Jacob, Paul, and I meet at Plonk, a tapas and wine bar where Jake’s best friend has been hired as temporary executive chef. Waiting for Sarah, we settle into cushy, burgundy velveteen banquettes and easy chairs around a low table. The place is too fussy by half, the art slick, the bathrooms tiled to a fare-thee-well. But having loitered for a half-year outside the precincts of commerce, where taste is constantly and anxiously recalibrated, I find Plonk comfortable, even glamorous.

No one is looking at the prices; we’re just ordering a plate of this, a bottle of that. I’m tired from the hike, relaxed after a hot shower and a nap, woozy from the good Cabernet mingling with the antihistamines that are still in my bloodstream. Jake’s friend Matt is sending plates up from the kitchen, on the house. I sink into the cushion beside my brother.

Sarah arrives on the arm of a Santa Barbara surfer who is crashing at the house for the weekend. Their flirtation has advanced since yesterday, and she is looking flushed and pretty. On her smooth, tanned chest is the necklace.

We eat, drink, and grow merrier with each bottle of wine. More friends arrive with embraces and congratulations. Gifts move around.

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