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Four
    Sometimes when I woke up in the morning and saw a girl’s face in my bed I panicked, wishing I’d talked her into going home the night before, but when I saw Janene sleeping next to me I felt like the luckiest guy in New York. Even without a stitch of makeup she was a knockout and I was glad just to be close to her. Maybe this was exactly what I needed in my life—stability, a nice, steady relationship.
    I decided to wake her up in a special way. She was surprised at first, wiggling her legs, but then she relaxed and enjoyed herself. Afterwards, looking up at her, I said, “Sleep tight?”
    “That was wonderful,” she said, her face still red, trying to catch her breath.
    She tried to take her turn, but I pulled her back up and said, “Nah, that’s all right—that was a present for you. Actually, I was gonna ask you if you wanted some breakfast in bed. Want me to go out and get some bagels and coffee?”
    “What time is it?”
    I looked at the clock on the dresser.
    “Five to seven.”
    “Shit—I have to be at work by a quarter to nine.”
    “Call in sick today.”
    “I wish I could, but my company’s in the middle of this important audit—my boss would kill me. Do you have a T-shirt or something I could put on?”
    “Sure,” I said. I went to the dresser and took out a Fruit of the Loom V-neck. She put on the T-shirt, pulling the covers up to hide her body, then she stood up out of bed. She was a big girl, but on her my T-shirt looked like a nightgown.
    She went into the bathroom, taking her clothes with her. When I heard her put the toilet seat down I got up quickly and took my wallet out of the pocket of the jeans I was wearing last night and hid it in my dresser drawer under my socks. A few minutes later, Janene came out of the bathroom, fully dressed except for her shoes. I was back in bed in my underwear.
    “I had a great time last night,” she said.
    “Me too.”
    “I wish I could spend the whole day with you.”
    “We’ll have plenty of time for that,” I said. I stood up and kissed her. “Can I walk you home?”
    “You don’t have to.”
    “I want to,” I said. “The more time I get to spend with you the better.”
    I started getting dressed.
    “So what are you gonna do today?” she asked.
    “First, I have some shit to take care of around the building, then I have an audition to go to.”
    “An audition? You didn’t tell me that.”
    “It’s no big deal. It’s to be in a dog food commercial.”
    “That sounds great.”
    “There’s a lot of competition, but I think I have a good shot of getting it.”
    “Well, good luck.”
    “Do you have some money to lend me?”
    I couldn’t believe I said it like that—not even building up to it.
    She looked at me for a second or two—it seemed longer—then said, “Sure...I guess so.”
    “Oh, didn’t I tell you?” I said. “I think I lost my wallet yesterday.”
    “No, you didn’t tell me that.”
    “Yeah, yesterday afternoon. I was doing some laundry and when I came back from the laundromat my wallet was gone. I looked all over my apartment for it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.”
    “That’s awful.”
    “I probably dropped it on the street or maybe somebody picked my pocket. Anyway, it was no big deal really—I only had a few dollars in it and, luckily, I had my driver’s license at home. I already called the bank and the credit card companies and they’re gonna send me new cards. The bank’s gonna Express Mail me a card this afternoon.”
    “So how much do you need?”
    “I don’t know. I guess fifty bucks should hold me over. It’s just for today. If my boss was around this afternoon I’d—”
    “It’s no problem at all,” she said. “The thing is, I only have about twenty dollars in my pocketbook. But if you wanted to walk out together we could pass a cash machine and I can—”
    “I’d really appreciate that,” I said. “I’ll pay you back tomorrow. I’ll come by your apartment