Chapter 16

After breakfast, I went for a walk. I thought about how selfless the nuns must be. I can’t imagine anyone I know being so generous and giving. I headed down Broadway to buy a record called “Little Shirley Beans” for Phoebe. I kinda like the record because, although it is for children, it is sung by a black blues singer who makes it sound raunchy, not cute. I thought about Phoebe, she is a wonderful girl, although she’s only ten, she always understands what I mean when I talk to her. You'd like her. I saw an oblivious little boy walking in the street, singing, “If a body catch a body coming through the rye.” That really gave my a big bang. I was that happy that i decided to give Jane a buzz, but i put the phone down when her mother answered the phone. I bought some tickets to a show called 'I Know My Love', for mine and Sally's date. She'd just die when I told her it was The Lunts.

I wanted to see old Phoebe, so I went to look for her in the park because she often roller-skates there on Sundays. I met this little girl who knows Phoebe. At first, she told me that Phoebe was on a school trip to the Museum of Natural History, but then she remembered that the trip was on the Saturday. Even though Phoebe wouldn't be there I walked to the museum anyway. I remembered the class trips I used to go on there. The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. It just kinda freezes time, everytime you went in, all the exhibits would be the same, even the same birds would be hanging from the ceiling. The only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that, exactly. You'd just be different, that's all. You'd have an overcoat on this time. Or the kid that was you partner in line last time had got scarlet fever and you'd have a new parter. Or you's have a substitute taking the class, instead of Miss Aigletinger. Or you'd heard you mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom. Or you'd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean you'd be different in some way - I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it. When I got there though, I didn't feel much like going in, if Phoebe was there I probably would have, but she wasn't. So I just got a cab down to the Biltmore to meet Sally.