The earth really outdid itself yesterday when a sinkhole opened up and swallowed a Yellow Cab, killing one. Onlookers outside Bloomingdale’s feared a bomb as the ground shook at the corner of 59th and Lexington. But the culprit was a 10-foot long, 12-foot-deep sinkhole caused by a break in the sewer line. Employees of local businesses say they had noticed a growing crack in the pavement but hadn’t thought it anything serious.
The taxi driver, who emergency workers said had been protected by the front cage, survived with a couple of broken bones. Police have yet to release the name of the deceased passenger. She had a Bloomingdale’s bag with her, and witnesses confirm that she had just come from the department store.
“Do you think Celeste canceled her dinner party?” Tomás asked coyly.
“Now there’s a spot at the table for the other one!” I answered, laughing to myself. I had been calling the wrong girl roadkill!
I knew we sounded insensitive, but really, the woman had been so horrible. I almost felt worse that our beautiful Max Hammer dress had met such a dreadful fate.
CHAPTER 32
The Balcony of the Paris Theatre
By John Westmont, Caroline’s Husband
I was sitting at my desk in my study looking out the window at Central Park. It’s a two-sided desk with chairs on both sides, one facing the interior of the room and the other facing the window. I choose where I want to sit depending on whether I want to concentrate or daydream. I had a tall stack of papers to grade and should have been concentrating on them, but my mind was elsewhere.
I was thinking about Andie, wondering what she was up to and why she hadn’t stuck around for that coffee after class last week. My hope was that she had stood me up because she was a good person and knew that although nothing inappropriate was going on, it still wasn’t right. A part of me had been relieved. I hadn’t felt this way about anyone since meeting Caroline. I wondered if it was just a byproduct of the growing distance between us—if that void allowed for something, or in this case someone, to step in and fill it. It is the classic excuse people give for cheating: filling a void.
I knew my marriage felt shaky, but it seemed to me that the problem could be traced to a time before I met Andie. The day-to-day looked the same. Caroline greeted me when I got home with the same warm smile, but now it seemed oddly forced. I asked her many times if something was wrong, but she always denied it. But I felt alone even when I wasn’t. There’s nothing as sad as feeling lonely when you’re lying next to the person who is meant to complete you. Still, I would never use that as an excuse for infidelity. I don’t believe there’s any excuse. I decided that tonight I would sit Caroline down and insist that we go talk to someone.
Eventually I gave up grading papers and looked up what was playing at the Paris movie theater. It had been weeks since my last visit; I imagined the movie would have changed by now. It had, so I left and hailed a cab to my number-one place to escape.
As I climbed the steps to the balcony, my favorite place to sit at the Paris, my anxiety began to melt away. I sat down in my usual seat, balanced my popcorn on the ledge, and took off my coat. Then I saw her. My heart skipped a beat. Andie was seated at the other end of my row. I felt guilty and exhilarated at the same time. I felt alive. I felt terrified. I felt like I should run. Then she saw me. A smile washed over her face, and I could swear her eyes welled up. The lights went dark and we both silently met at the seats in the middle of our row. We didn’t say a word. When the movie began I offered her some of my popcorn. A few minutes later we reached into the bucket at the same time. As our hands touched, the bucket fell to the floor. I grasped her hand in mine and didn’t let go for the rest of the film. I can’t even tell you if the film was any good, because all I could feel was her hand in mine. When the film ended I felt as if I had been holding my breath. I didn’t know what had come over me; I knew this was wrong, but it also felt so natural, so comfortable, so right.