“Ralph, you have to—crackle—that I didn’t come on to Phil Cafagna.” The connection kept breaking up.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s forgotten.”
“But I don’t want it to be forgotten. What happened between us was something—crackle.”
“I know. I’m not saying it wasn’t. But Glamorex is falling apart, Bonnie, and I don’t have the time to think about anything but saving it.”
“Ralph, Duke’s left me.”
“What?”
“He’s left me. I don’t know where he’s gone, but he’s taken Ray, too.”
“I’m sorry, Bonnie. It doesn’t make any difference if Duke’s left you. It wouldn’t make any difference if Vanessa dropped dead. There are times when things work out and there are times when they don’t. Call it fate. Call it what you like.”
“Ralph, I’m actually pleading with you. What you gave me—you showed me that a man could—crackle—for me. I’ve never felt that before. Never. And don’t tell me you didn’t like what I did for you.”
There was a pause so long that Bonnie felt her heartbeat twenty times. Then Ralph said, “I love you, Bonnie. I’m sorry if I hurt you. I’m hurting, too. But we both have to accept that it’s just one of those might-have-beens, isn’t it?”
“No, Ralph! Listen, Ralph—”
But then she stopped herself, because she knew that it was no use, and that she never got lucky like this. She didn’t switch the phone off, but slowly lowered it and stood in the street right opposite the Glamorex building looking up at Ralph’s office, where she could see him standing next to the window. After a while he hung up his phone. Then he stood with his arms tightly folded and his head bent, like somebody suffering from agonizing chest pain.