Читаем Fall and Rise полностью

Almost everybody says “Sip sip away,” and drinks up. Peter drinks up, puts the glass on the floor and crushes it with his foot. There’s lots of applause, he sits and says “Drink. You haven’t touched a drop.” I drink a little.

Arthur says to him “I might have been a smart-ass before but only because I’m jealous of any guy who can take over the way you did. But that was without doubt the best toast I ever ate. I didn’t want to like it. In point of fact I hate all toast: dark, light or roasted — but I liked yours. It was palatable and kosher and I now think you ought to send them a real toaster as a present, maybe one that can take rolls. If you don’t, I will, but not your old one or my toaster-oven-broiler. I drink to you, sir — you’re a clever sonofabitch as there ever was one.”

They click glasses and then mine on the table. I drink all my champagne, say “Excuse me,” and go over to Dorothy and Sven and kiss them both. The music’s started. They take my hands. “No, I couldn’t.” We start dancing, just holding hands, sort of a Jewish dance to Jewish music. Other people take our hands and soon twenty to thirty people are holding hands in a circle and doing this dance. Arthur breaks the circle, takes my hand and the hand of the person I’ve been holding and dances around with us. Peter takes my other hand and the other hand I’ve been holding — Sophie’s. Soon about half the guests are part of the circle and the other half and most of the waiters are clapping in rhythm to us. I see the two women from the ladies’ room in the circle. The one who was sick drops her hand and waves to me and I nod and she takes back the hand of her friend and kisses it. The music stops. I’m panting from all the dancing. Sophie hugs me and says “My darling, all the same for you,” and I say “One day, maybe, but no rush.” Dorothy and Sven kiss Sophie and then me and then one another and Peter puts his arms around their shoulders and squeezes them into him and then hugs Sophie and then me and kisses my cheek and says “Why can’t I stop thinking about you? This is no b.s. I’m such a fucking fool. Can’t live with, can’t without, that’s my problem.”

I get out of his grip. “It’s all right, please, and stay. You’re having fun. I am too, but too much partying tonight.”

“No, I promised, and my work tomorrow starts early.”

I tell Dorothy and Sven I’m leaving. “Peter’s driving me home.” She raises her eyebrows. My look back says “Not what you think.”

“Before you go,” Sven says, “have you seen the view?”

“I’ve looked outside. We’re very high up.”

“But from the outside? Half of what Soph’s paying for is the balcony view. It’s memorable and I want the party to be remembered. You too, Peter. Arthur. Nils. Who else? Everybody who can fit out there, come with us to the balcony. Sophie, you too.”

“I can’t,” Arthur says to me. “I’m phobic when it comes to heights. They were lucky to get me up here, but I haven’t looked outside once tonight and did you notice how I stay away from the windows? Minimum of fifteen feet. I couldn’t get near the crudités table because of it, and I love those things, so someone had to bring me over a plate.”

Sven takes my hand and Dorothy’s and leads about twenty people out to the balcony. It overlooks the Staten Island ferry station and Statue of Liberty and New Jersey or Staten Island and some ships in the water and a liner all lit up heading out to the ocean.

“A cruise ship,” Dorothy says. “That’s what Sven and I should be on. Instead, what? A posh hotel here and tomorrow Atlantic City.”

“I like to gamble,” he says.

“Listen. You can even hear the music from it seventy stories up. Let’s dance,” and she grabs Sven and dances one turn around and lets go.

“I don’t hear anything,” Sophie says.

“I’m a little cold,” I say to Peter. “I’m going in.”

“No, all of us,” Sven says, “me and mine included, stay and don’t make jokes or start dancing — just look. It was a lot nicer the night we came up here to see if we wanted to rent it. Clearer, more stars, the skinniest of quartermoons, but you can’t predict the weather months ahead, and all the nights that same-sized moon was due, the room was booked. Look — the plane up there. Cloudy and all, it’s still a remarkable sight. Only in New York.”

“I think Chicago has a catering place like this on top of one of its lakefront office buildings,” a woman says. “And taller, but with different type food. But it is very nice indeed. I’m glad you brought us out here — I would have missed it.”

“And no comparisons, if you can. Experience it for what it is, if I can sound vaguely familiar — which is great. I also, while we’re out here in front of this view, want to make an announcement.”

“You’re getting married,” a man says.

“No, and not that I love Dorothy and she loves me and we shall cherish each other forever, which is all so, but that we’re going to have a baby. That’s something else I wanted to tell you, my best friends and relatives who braved it out here at my behest. Sophie, did you hear?”