I’m on the corner of Cahuenga and Sunset headed for Groundwork for some coffee and a few minutes in a chair. Supervisor MELISSA has followed me. She’s on her way to get cigarettes and coffee. I like Melissa, so I say I’ll see her at the coffee counter.
She joins me later as I’m getting my joe and my healthy muffin. She has a new pack of cigarettes.
“Is that your brand?” I ask.
“Yeah. You ever try one?”
“No.”
She says, “It’s a twenty-minute cigarette. They last a while.”
I look at her and realize that she’s offering me one. I don’t smoke but I take it, and in that moment, I want to marry her.
