The Stranger is one of your favorite books.” “It’s the only one I read of his and I don’t know if I’d want to hear an expert on it. Too much like school,” and he said “You’d want to hear her. She’s clear, unpedantic, and that voice. She’s now on a prestigious postdoctoral teaching fellowship and is teaching at Columbia for two years.” “Is she Jewish like you?” and he said “If you mean is she a Jew but doesn’t practice it, yes.” “Does she have a big nose?” and he said “God, you can be such a putz sometimes.” “Then I’m sorry, forget I said it; let’s get down to more important things, her build. Does she have big tits?” and he said “Big, little, medium-sized: what’s the difference?” “You saying you’d take little to Miss Flatchested over big?” and he said “I’m saying it wouldn’t affect how I feel about her, just as the size and shape of her nose wouldn’t.” “So you didn’t even look?” and he said “I looked — I checked them out, as you like to say — and they’re pretty substantial, or seem to be, but so what?” “‘Substantial,’” Manny said; “what a word for it. Well, that’s better than her having nothing up there, isn’t it? But listen. If things ever get hot and romancy between you two, then whatever you do, don’t try to fix me up with one of her friends. I know they’ll all be brainy like her and condescending to me and not interested in any of the things I am.” “Deal,” he said, “but let’s see how far it goes with me first. I’ll be honest with you. I’m really hoping.” “Good, that’s good; congratulations. At our age, what guy in his right mind, especially one who wants kids, as you’ve said you do, wouldn’t want a woman eleven years younger than him as a permanent mate? Now do you take issue with that too?” and he said “No. It wasn’t one of my original reasons for hoping, but there’s something to what you say.” “Should we drink to it?” and he said “Yeah, why not,” and they clinked glasses, drank up, had another beer, talked about other things, he gave Manny his share of the tab and put a tip down on the bar and left and Manny stayed. “You’re taken,” Manny said. “Me, you never know when some honey’s going to come in here and flash on me. Hard to imagine, but it’s happened.” On his way home he might have thought why in hell is he still friends with that guy? Ah, Manny’s seen him through a lot, been a loyal and uncritical friend, and he can be very funny sometimes and cut through most bullshit and he often makes a lot of sense He doesn’t think Gwen would like him, he also might have thought. Too vulgar.