Scene: Two men dressed in business casual sitting at an East Village bar on a Friday night, ’70s punk rock playing in the background.
Friend: What have you been up to since Sabine’s been out of town?
Me: Uh… I went to The Strand for a couple of hours.
Friend: Lingered in the erotic art books section, did you?
Me: Ha ha, no, I bought (voice getting quieter as I realize what I’m saying) a Guy de Maupassant novel about the bitterness of growing old.
Friend: (Thoughtfully) I like to play classical music really loud when my wife and the baby go out of town.
Lights go out, curtain comes down.
Giovanni García-Fenech 