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fingers. He looked up at the witnessing heavens to keep what he could. He dropped his arms and let the rest go.
    â€œO.K.,” he said. “Let’s go. I’d like to see your place. I’m full of ideas. You should see my living room, Anna. I might even go into interior decorating if things don’t pick up. Come on. I’ll get the ladder out of the basement. I could move a couple of trunks. I’m crazy about heavy work. You get out of life what you put into it. Right? Let’s ditch the kid. I’m not your enemy.”
    â€œWho is?” she asked.
    â€œOff my back, Anna. I mean it. I’ll get someone to keep an eye on Judy. Just shut up.” He searched for a familiar face among the Sunday strollers. “Hey, you,” he finally called to an old pal on whom two chicks were leaning. “Hey, you glass-eyed louse, c’mere.”
    â€œNot just any of your idiot friends,” whispered Anna, enraged.
    All three soft-shoed it over to Peter. They passed out happy hellos, also a bag of dried apricots. Peter spoke to one of the girls. He patted her little-boy haircut. “Well, well, baby, you have certainly changed. You must have had a very good winter.”
    â€œOh yes, thanks,” she admitted.
    â€œSay, be my friend, doll, will you? There’s Judy over there. Remember? She was nuts about you when she was little. How about it? Keep an eye on her about an hour or two?”
    â€œSure, Petey, I’d love to. I’m not busy today. Judy! She was cute. I was nuts about her.”
    â€œAnna,” said Peter, “this is Louie; she was a real friend that year you worked. She helped me out with Judy. She was great, a lifesaver.”
    â€œYou’re Anna,” Louie said hospitably. “Oh, I think Judy’s cute. We were nuts about each other. You have one smart kid. She’s
really
smart.”
    â€œThank you,” said Anna.
    Judy had gone off to talk to the ice-cream man. She returned licking a double-lime Popsicle. “You have to give him ten cents,” she said. “He didn’t even remember me to give me trust.”
    Suddenly she saw Louie. “Oooh!” she shrieked. “It’s Louie. Louie, Louie, Louie!” They pinched each other’s cheeks, rubbed noses like the Eskimoses, and fluttered lashes like kissing angels do. Louie looked around proudly. “Gee whiz, the kid didn’t forget me. How do you like that?”
    Peter fished in his pockets for some change. Louie said, “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s on me.” “O.K., girls,” Peter said. “You two go on. Live it up. Eat supper out. Enjoy yourselves. Keep in touch.”
    â€œI guess they do know each other,” said Anna, absolutely dispirited, waving goodbye.
    â€œThere!” said Peter. “If you want to do things, do things.”
    He took her arm. His other elbow cut their way through a gathering clutter of men and boys. “Going, going, gone,” he said. “So long, fellows.”
    Within five minutes Anna unlocked the door of her new apartment, her snappy city leasehold, with a brand-new key.
    In the wide foyer, on the parquet path narrowed by rows of cardboard boxes, Peter stood stock-still and whistled a dozen bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. “Mama,” he moaned in joy, “let me live!”
    A vista of rooms and doors to rooms, double glass doors, single hard-oak doors, narrow closet doors, a homeful of rooms wired with hallways stretched before. “Oh, Anna, it’s a far cry … Who’s paying for it?”
    â€œNot you; don’t worry.”
    â€œThat’s not the point, Mary and Joseph!” He waved his arms at a chandelier. “Now, Anna, I like to see my friends set up this way. You think I’m kidding.”
    â€œ
I’m
kidding,” said Anna.
    â€œCome on, what’s really cooking? You look so great, you look like a chick on the sincere make.