The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy

Dolce Far Niente Are we the last to notice the assimilationist trend among ethnic restaurants? In the days of our youth, we could tell one from another. Crystal, white linen, supercilious maître d’ — it’s French, naturellement ; red and gold — Chinese; downstairs — Indian; and so on. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.su...

WHEN BELINDA has gone, and Matthew’s in bed, he lies awake, wondering what he ought to do. Should he buy the coat for her? He could have it delivered to her. It could arrive with a clever note. “Because I loved you in it and loved you on it.” Not bad. . . . Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

     He wonders if she’s sick. She doesn’t drink cognac well. “In here,” she calls, from the bedroom. Only the lights of the city light the room. Belinda has spread the coat out on the bed, fur side up, and she’s lying on it, naked, stretching, enjoying the fur against her skin, almost writhing. For her the foreplay has already begun.  Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experienc...

     “We weren’t starving,” says Belinda, “I know that. I know how much worse off everyone else in the world was or is or whatever. I know that life was basically pretty comfortable, but for a girl, then anyway, for a girl to go to school in clothes that everybody recognized weren’t hers — I mean, I knew they were looking at me, and they knew I was wearing what Elaine Toomey wore last year. It was...

THE HOLE in Matthew’s living room wall now reaches from the window at the far end of the room to the window near his audio equipment, nearly half the length of the room. There is a distinct downward thermal gradient in its vicinity. Belinda hasn’t taken her coat off; she snuggles into it while she squats to inspect the hole. “Any leads?” she asks. “None,” says Matthew. “I was out here this morning...

     “I haven’t seen a single cab,” says Matthew. “Maybe if we walk a bit.” “We could take the T.” “In that coat? Besides, I’m just not a subway person.” “Oh, come on. There’s a stop up here.” ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

ON THE WAY OUT, Belinda pauses at the door, throws the collar of the coat up, spins around to look at the room again, the details of artificial decay, the peeling plaster, the water stain, the tipsy safe, the open wall, and says in her best Bette Davis voice, “What a dump!”    Matthew thinks he may be falling in love. Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations...

     “Harold, you know what?” says Belinda. “What?” asks Harold. “Today is the official celebration of my birthday, and I would rather not hear the rest of this story.” “Why?”     “Because it is not going to be a happy story, Harold, and as the birthday girl I would like to hear only happy stories today.” ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter...

THE FOOD is absolutely wonderful. It ought to be enough to make the evening magnificent, and for a while it is. Eating is such a great pleasure that the four of them speak very little, and when they do they talk only about the food. Were it not for the persistent whining of the boy at the next table, they might be in paradise. When they have finished they lean back, contented, regarding one anothe...

     “Shall I take your orders?” he asks. “Let me ask you something first,” says Harold. He twitches on his seat with the pleasurable anticipation of being amusing. “Does the cuisine match the decor?” ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

     “What do you do, Harold?” Belinda asks, still the good sport. “Oh, nothing much,” Harold says. Belinda smiles, but she’s thinking, “Nothing much?” Why do you say that? Why are you acting like this? ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

     “We don’t eat out that often,” says Gwen, “but Harold keeps track of restaurants. He reads the reviews and so on. But I don’t think you’ve come across many places where someone would spend a hundred and forty dollars on lunch, have you?” ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

     Belinda is hurt. She has been working on Picture Frame for months, and she’s proud of having elevated it above the level of a game. She’s annoyed with herself for not having done it justice, and she can feel in her throat the possibility of tears if she tries to speak. She would be grateful if Matthew would say something, do something, anything to end this torture, change the subject, rescue...

     “Why the name?” asks Harold. “Picture Frame?” “Ah!” says Belinda. “Well, when you start playing — ‘playing’ — I don’t believe I said that. Maybe it is a game. Anyway — when you start, you think you’re in someone’s apartment, and you work your way around in it, checking things out — ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy...

     “Oh, I know,” says Matthew. “I’ve been — well — playing something interesting.” He smiles at Belinda. “Playing?” “On my computer.” “A computer game,” says Harold. “Not a game,” says Belinda. “Not a game,” says Harold, shaking his head at Gwen as if she had mistaken whatever it is for a game. . .. Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at...

     “So how are things with Mr. Matthew?” asks Harold. “I haven’t seen much of you for the last couple of weeks.” Matthew is almost certain that he had an interminable conversation with Harold only a couple of days ago, but perhaps it was in fact weeks ago. “Have you been up to anything interesting?” Matthew can hear in his tone the expectation that Matthew will say no, just as he used to hear it...

DRINK ORDERS are placed, and Gwen makes a point of not ordering alcohol. “Nothing with alcohol for me,” she says. “Bring me anything, as long as it doesn’t have alcohol.” “Perrier, Ramlösa, Evian, Pellegrino, Poland Spring, Saratoga, Lethe?” asks the waiter. Belinda catches it, and only Belinda. She looks at the waiter and shows a surprised smile. He grins. ... Get full access to The Personal Hist...

     A busgirl arrives at the table and deposits an earthenware vase, in which there is an arrangement of a single calla lily and a number of lengths of a skinny, twisted bread of a kind unfamiliar to all but one of our happy quartet. At the table next to them, the boy who spilled his water is now banging one of these loaves on the table. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Ex...

“WE’VE INVITED YOU AND BELINDA to join us,” says Harold when Matthew returns. He’s smiling, trying to look relaxed, and trying, really trying, not to look down the front of Belinda’s dress. He’s losing both struggles, Matthew notices. Droplets of sweat dot his upper lip, and his eyes keep darting to Belinda’s cleavage. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observat...

THE RESTAURANT is in a building that used to be a service station for the trucks that were kept here. It seems a small and frightened thing, cowering in the presence of the towering. It has been decorated, inside and out, at great expense, to look like a ruin. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

DOLCE FAR NIENTE is in the area where Belinda works, an area of spanking-new office buildings housing young companies engaged in microelectronics, computer software, genetic engineering, and any number of things involving lasers, many of which are offensive. Matthew looks around. “This whole section of town is all so new,” he says. “What was here before — I mean, before all this?” ... Get full acc...

“WHAT’S THE SURPRISE?” Matthew asks. Leila only winks. She’s not going to say anything about it. “Try that drink,” she says. “See if it’s any good.” He tries it. She’s been mixing martinis for him nearly half her life, ever since her father taught her how, and Matthew’s never had the heart to tell her that she uses too much vermouth. “Excellent!” he says. ... Get full access to The Personal Histor...

TRUDGING back up the steps to the house, Matthew wonders whether those radio quizzes still exist. He hasn’t heard one in years. Perhaps he would if he listened to talk radio or rock ’n’ roll stations, but he doesn’t listen to that sort of thing much anymore. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscribe

     He says, “It really is an unmistakable sound, the mixing of a martini. When I was a kid, radio stations used to have these sound quizzes. They’d play a sound, and if they called you up, you’d try to guess what it was. A toaster popping up, something like that. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy at peterleroy.substack.com/subscrib...

Chapter 3 Dolce Far Niente BECAUSE Belinda’s birthday fell in the middle of the week, when she and Matthew were both too busy to celebrate it, they agreed to celebrate this evening, Friday. When Matthew arrives at Belinda’s, he asks his cabdriver to wait and dashes up the stairs. The toothsome Leila lets him in. ... Get full access to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of...