402
PARTISAN REVIEW
When my ship sank, the others sailed on.
Paul Riegel returned from Berlin exhausted and depressed despite the
fact, a happy one to his wife and friends, that a book of his was on the pa–
perback best-seller list published by
The New York Times .
When Charlotte
Carson suggested with uncharacteristic gaiety that they celebrate, Paul
looked at her with a mild quizzical smile and asked , "Why, exactly?"
The men played squash, the women played tennis.
The Carsons had other friends of course. Older and more reliable
friends . They did not need the Riegels. Except they were in love with the
Riegels.
Did the Riegels love them? Ceci telephoned one evening and Barry
happened to answer and they talked together for an hour and afterward,
when Charlotte asked Barry what they'd talked about, careful to keep all
signs ofjealousy and excitement out of her voice, Barry said evasively, " –
A friend of theirs is dying. OfAIDS. Ceci says he weighs only ninety pounds
and has withdrawn from everyone - 'slunk off to die like a
~iCk
animal.' And
that Paul doesn't care. Or won 't talk about it." Barry paused, aware that
Charlotte was looking at him closely. A light film of perspiration covered his
face; his nostrils appeared unusually dark, dilated. "He's no one we know,
honey. The dying man I mean."
When Paul Riegel emerged from a sustained bout of writing the first
people he wanted to see were the Carsons of course so the couples went out
for Chinese food - "a banquet, no less!" - at their favo rite Chinese restau–
rant in a shopping mall. The Dragon Inn had no liquor license so they
brought bottles of wine and six-packs of beer. They were the last customers
to leave and by the end waiters and kitchen help were standing around or
prowling restlessly at the rear of the restaurant. There was a minor dis–
agreement over the check which Paul Riegel insisted
h~:l
not been added up
"strictly correctly." He and the manager discussed the pI Jblem and since the
others were within earshot he couldn't resist clowning for their amusement;
slipping into a comical Chinese (unless it was Japanese?) accent. In the park–
ing lot the couples laughed helplessly gasping for breath and bent double and
in the car driving home - Barry drove: they'd taken the Carsons' Honda
Accord, and Barry was seemingly the most sober of the four of them - they
kept bursting into peals oflaughter like naughty children.
They never returned to the Dragon Inn.
The men played squash together but their most rewarding games
were doubles in which they played, and routed, another pair of men.
As if grudgingly Paul Riegel would tell Barry Carson he was a
"damned good player." To Charlotte he would say, "Your husband is a
damned good player but if only he could be a bit more
murderous
-
!"
