An Orderly LifeArte Publico Press, 2004 M03 31 - 242 pages Rafe Sabas is the ideal corporate man. He is on a first name basis with the president of his company and likes to think about a deal while talking about something else. ñI am not good at thinking alone,î he quips, ñcorporate life ruins you for that.î RafeÍs personal life, too, is right where he wants it. HeÍs got a proper wife and children to greet him in the evening, but he still dabbles in the occasional carefree infidelity at his companyÍs expense. He rhapsodizes on his theories of stoic emotion, casual sex, the starburst of pleasure offered by a shot of gin and the key to successful drinking binges. He is as cool as his favorite beverage: a crisp martini on the rocks. But when Jerry, a friend from RafeÍs past, resurfaces, RafeÍs world of order and convention begins showing fissures. RafeÍs planned evening of casual conversation and call girls is disrupted by JerryÍs emotional collapse at his impending divorce. After a few well-placed comments like ñDonÍt let it get you, fella,î Rafe expects to slip back into his old world unscathed. What follows is a devastating trip through their past sexual infidelities, friendship-breaking betrayals, and forgotten loyalties. |
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Page 4
... shoulder , and that made us both so happy — it was just like the old days — that we laughed and raised our drinks again . Later , I wondered if my ges- ture , that physical contact , had meant something special to Jerry , but I don't ...
... shoulder , and that made us both so happy — it was just like the old days — that we laughed and raised our drinks again . Later , I wondered if my ges- ture , that physical contact , had meant something special to Jerry , but I don't ...
Page 7
... them now , and it gave me a pang to see the waiter's face change . When he realized I'd asked in Span- ish , he was so delighted , and so Latin , that he had to repress his reflex to slap me on the shoulder and have a An Orderly Life 7.
... them now , and it gave me a pang to see the waiter's face change . When he realized I'd asked in Span- ish , he was so delighted , and so Latin , that he had to repress his reflex to slap me on the shoulder and have a An Orderly Life 7.
Page 8
Jose Yglesias. reflex to slap me on the shoulder and have a good talk right there . Instead , he laughed , shrugged , looked toward the headwaiter , and said in Spanish , " They like us to act the part . " I told him I under- stood ...
Jose Yglesias. reflex to slap me on the shoulder and have a good talk right there . Instead , he laughed , shrugged , looked toward the headwaiter , and said in Spanish , " They like us to act the part . " I told him I under- stood ...
Page 14
... shoulder ; but the cold December air didn't do him good and , in the taxi , he began to talk again about Kennedy . " Weren't you shocked ? " he said . " Wasn't the whole thing unsettling ? " I told him yes , it was quite a shock . I had ...
... shoulder ; but the cold December air didn't do him good and , in the taxi , he began to talk again about Kennedy . " Weren't you shocked ? " he said . " Wasn't the whole thing unsettling ? " I told him yes , it was quite a shock . I had ...
Page 20
... shoulders began to shake . " Every time I put my hands on a woman , " he said , his voice quavering , " I think of Glo- ria and begin to hate her — you know what that does to you ! " I told him what I truly believe : we are not meant to ...
... shoulders began to shake . " Every time I put my hands on a woman , " he said , his voice quavering , " I think of Glo- ria and begin to hate her — you know what that does to you ! " I told him what I truly believe : we are not meant to ...
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