Elements of Style by Wendy Wasserstein

Author:Wendy Wasserstein
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307265548
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2006-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

At least three taxis sped by Charlie as soon as they noticed he was barefoot and bleeding. Charlie took his jacket and dangled it in front of him in order to conceal his injury. When a cab finally stopped, Charlie gave the address and said, “Someone will be waiting for me.”

“I’ve heard that before.” The taxi driver looked in the back mirror and spoke in a mixture of Brooklynese and Hindi.

“I promise you’ll get your fare,” Charlie answered.

Frankie was waiting in front of her office when Charlie got there, and she paid the taxi driver.

“Mister, you’re lucky you’ve got such a nice wife. I wish I had someone who’d pick me up after I’d been out all night.” The cabbie looked Frankie over.

“Good night.” Frankie handed the driver the money and put her arm around Charlie. “Come on inside, Charlie.”

“I owe you one for this, Francesca.”

“Do you want me to call Samantha?”

“No. Just take care of this please. Fuckin’ Park Avenue mugger made me take off my shoes.”

“This is why I never spend money on shoes.” Frankie smiled.

“He didn’t want my shoes, honey. He just didn’t want me to run after him.” He grabbed his foot. “Oh Christ, this hurts.”

“Come on. I’ll take care of it.”

Frankie brought Charlie into exam room five.

“Sit up here.” Frankie washed her hands and came back to the examining table. “Now give me your foot.”

Charlie put his foot in Frankie’s hand and picked up Go Away, Big Green Monster! “Can I read this while you do it?”

“If you want. This is gonna hurt a little.” Frankie took a few instruments from her drawer and sprayed Charlie’s foot with an antiseptic.

Charlie began reading. “Go away, Big Green Monster, and don’t come back until I say so—Christ, that hurts!”

“You got a big slice in there.” Frankie sat down on the stool across from the examining table. “Maybe we should go to a hospital.”

“I thought you were my friend. Why would you send me to a hospital?”

“I don’t want you to get an infection.”

“I’ll get an infection at the hospital.”

“Take a deep breath.” Frankie put her hand on his shoulder.

Charlie held his breath while Frankie searched his instep with a scalpel.

“Charlie, you can breathe now.”

“Aren’t you going to give me an anesthetic?”

“If you’re good, you get a lollipop.” Frankie looked at him. “I just did this for Sea Bernstein after he fell from the helicopter pad in East Hampton.”

“And I thought I had a pretentious practice!”

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Frankie put on rubber gloves and removed the glass while Charlie watched her.

“Most of my patients turn away.”

“I’m around thirty years older than most of your patients.” Charlie clenched his fist like a child.

“Charlie, where’s Samantha?”

“I don’t know.”

“She was on television tonight with Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.”

“You are so lucky you didn’t come with Jil to that.”

“Jil didn’t invite me to that,” she said nonchalantly.

“Oh, well, you didn’t miss anything, except for Judy and Albert Tremont dressed up as Ike and Tina Turner.”

“Oh God.” Frankie laughed openly.

“What the hell time is it?”

“Around five a.

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