Anxious to avoid any further meetings, Frank turned up the first side street. Mercy, meanwhile, had crossed the main avenue to a small park and sat down on a bench to compose herself. Feeling foolish at going so far out of his way, Frank nevertheless walked three full blocks before turning the corner, walking another block, and then heading back towards the main avenue where he had to catch his bus. Just about the time he reached the avenue, Mercy left the park and recrossed the street to get to her bus stop. Waiting there, she looked idly into a store window. Then she stepped into the entryway of the store to study the display from that angle. Just as she turned around and stepped out of the entryway again, Frank came abreast of the doorway.
Inadvertently, Mercy stepped directly in the path of the skinny, nervous little man walking directly in front of Frank. The little man stopped and attempted to reverse his direction, bumping into Frank. By then Frank and Mercy had seen each other. Appalled, Frank stepped to the right so she might pass both him and the little man. Aghast, Mercy stepped to the right and started trying to do just that. Intimidated and confused, the little man also stepped to the right. Frank danced to the left. The little man pranced to the left. Mercy did likewise.
“Please,” the little man begged. “I’m in a hurry.”
“Sorry.” Frank reversed direction again.
Too late. The little man had already decided to extricate himself by moving the same way. And by the time he’d turned around, his way was once again blocked by Mercy.
“Lady!” he pleaded desperately. “I gotta catch a bus!”
All three shifted back at the same precise moment again. Their timing was as precise as a trio of well-rehearsed Rockettes. It was too much for the little man. With an oath, he sprang off the curb and darted into the street to get out from between Frank and Mercy.
There was the squeal of brakes. The taxi’s bumper stopped a scant inch from the little man’s knee. The driver roared his rage. “You stupid father-mucker!” he screamed. “I oughta bust you right in the nose!”
“Enough!” the little man screamed back. “Enough! All my life people have been picking on me. Enough! I’m going to kill you!” He reached into the open cab window and grabbed the driver by the throat.
The driver broke the hold and came charging out of the cab. He knocked the little man to the pavement. “Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size?” a bystander growled. A moment later he and the cab driver were swapping punches. A crowd gathered. The melee grew. Others joined in. A cop came running-up, swinging his club. Somebody yelled “Police brutality!” and beaned him with a pop bottle. The avenue was fast developing into the scene of a riot.
In the confusion, Mercy and Frank had managed to circle each other and run away. Frank darted west for about three blocks, then crossed the avenue and boarded a bus going in the same direction. Mercy ran east and finally got on a bus going east.
Her bus went east for eight blocks, then turned south. Frank’s bus continued west for about a mile, then veered north. Mercy’s bus turned again and headed west. Frank’s bus turned east. Mercy’s bus switched to south again. Frank’s bus went north. Finally Mercy’s bus pulled to the curb. Finally Frank’s bus stopped. Mercy glanced out her window and noted casually that there was a bus heading in the opposite direction which had paused at the stop across the street. Frank glanced out the window and saw a bus pointed in the opposite direction at the curb across the street.
Their eyes met. Their jaws dropped open. They continued to stare at each other helplessly until both buses finally pulled away.
Mercy reached home and immediately took a hot bath to calm her nerves. When Frank reached home, he took a cold shower to calm his nerves. After the bath, Mercy resorted to a heating-pad to relieve the tension she was still feeling. After the shower, Frank lay down with an ice-pack on his head. Mercy was too disturbed to lie quietly. So was Frank. Mercy made herself something to eat and then decided to go to a movie to take her mind off things. Frank went out to dinner and then to a movie to distract himself.
The movie bored Mercy. Frank found himself yawning at the movie. Finally it was over. The lights in the theater went up. Mercy rubbed her eyes and then glanced around to accustom them to the glare. Frank blinked rapidly and swiveled his head on his neck to relieve the cramp caused by having sat for so long. Mercy looked casually at the man seated beside her. Frank focused naturally on the girl in the seat next to his.
“EEK!” Mercy screamed.
“YIKES!” Frank screamed.
. . . In the morning, Frank called Swami Rhee Va long distance and poured out his distress to him. In the morning, Mercy called Dr. Peerloin, explained that she was too distraught to come to work that day, and poured out her distress to her.
“Long walks,” Swami Rhee Va advised. “Go to the park and contemplate.”
“Why would I go to the park? I don’t have any motivation,” Frank pointed out.
“Buy a dog. Animals have great inner am-ness. Walk the dog in the park,” Swami Rhee Va advised.
So Frank went out to a pet shop and bought a standard-size Boston bulldog. While he was selecting his new pet, Mercy was ringing the doorbell of her next-door neighbor.
“Can I borrow Suzie for a while?” she asked. “I’m feeing very restless today and I thought I’d take a walk. I’d like some company.”
“Sure,” the neighbor replied. “It’ll save me the trouble of having to walk her later.”
A few minutes later Mercy emerged from her building with a standard-size French poodle on a leash. She headed for the north entrance to the park. On the other side of the park Frank was leading his new pet in by the south entrance.
Frank walked for a while with the dog, which he’d decided to name “Duke.” Mercy strolled a while with Suzie. Frank decided to unleash his dog and let it run. Mercy let Suzie off the leash. Duke bounded out of sight. Suzie pranced off behind some bushes where she couldn’t be seen.
After a while, Frank went looking for Duke. Mercy trotted after Suzie. Frank whistled for his dog. Mercy called, “Here, Suzie. Here, Suzie.” This kept up for a few minutes, and then -
Frank spotted Duke with another dog and started for him. Mercy spotted Suzie with another dog and ran towards her. Both Mercy and Frank pulled up short about six feet from each other.
“You again!” Mercy gasped.
“Oh, no!” Frank moaned.
“Why are you following me?” Mercy demanded.
“Me following you? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“After all, it was a scientific experiment. You might have the decency not to -”
“Look, lady, it was very nice, but I assure you—”
“Common ethics should dictate—”
“When something’s over, it’s over. Most girls would have too much pride to—-”
“Oh!” Mercy pointed. “Look!”
Frank looked. “Ohmigosh! Now, Duke, you stop that!”
“Suzie! You come away from there this minute!”
“He’s not the kind of dog you’d expect to act like this,” Frank explained embarrassedly.
Red-faced, Mercy replied stiffly, “Well, I certainly hope you’re not implying that Suzie encouraged him.”
“She certainly isn’t discouraging him,” Frank pointed out.
“Stop it! Suzie! Stop it!” Mercy’s agitation changed to alarm. “Oh!” she wailed. “They won’t stop!”
“Would you?” Frank murmured.
“Don’t just stand there! Do something!”
Frank tore a branch from a tree and flailed at the dogs. It had no effect and he finally gave up. “I can’t make them stop,” he told Mercy. “If I had a pail of scalding Water, maybe . . .”
“Well, you don’t! . . . Oh! This is awful!”