The Writer's Life 4/7 - 2001

I got in a bit less than an hour-and-a-half at the floating book shop before it started drizzling. I probably bailed too fast, but how does one know if the rain will increase or stop? My thanks to the two people who made purchases.


A large part of the second half of Close to the Edge takes place in the old 2001 discoteque, made famous by Saturday Night Fever (1977). I didn't name it, as I wasn't sure of the legal ramifications. It was still open while I was writing the book. Here's an excerpt. It's the first time Kathy spots Vinnie:

   Kathy eyed him with interest. He seemed lost, out of place. Noting his melancholy, she surmised he’d had a fight with his wife. She craned her neck to get a look at his left hand, which was resting atop the bar. He wasn’t wearing a ring. She was relieved, although she knew he may have taken it off for the evening. That had happened to her before. What delight that creep had taken in putting on the ring before her eyes. Little did he know that she was relieved rather than insulted -- as if she’d ever wanted to see him again! She wondered if this guy was like that. She studied his face as he rose on his toes and gazed toward the exit. She was intrigued by the sharp, bold features: the long, Roman nose; the jutting jaw; the thick, black mustache; the five o’clock shadow; the rough, dark complexion. She would bet she could knock off a caricature of him in seconds.

   Those eyes, she thought. They seemed starved, lustful, suppliant. And that hair, she laughed to herself. It was absurd. The right side, on which he no doubt slept, curled upward, making it appear much fuller than the left. She did not understand what attracted her to such brutes. Even his attire was unconventional -- a polo shirt and jeans! All the other males were wearing dress shirts and slacks. She wished she had a sketch pad with her so that she could dash off an impression as a means of introduction. She imagined he was blue collar, a construction worker, perhaps. God, was she looking for Daddy, for reconciliation by proxy? You are so messed up right now, she thought, amused.

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