OCR Text |
Show 63 eyas set on the past. For him that had ended: now he had something to look forward to ... specifically eleven o'clock that evening. Beyond it, of course, his imagination ran ahead like a dog scouting out prospects ha wouldn't dare face directly, dreams that built highsr and highsr, until they began to lean. Than, embarrassed at himself, he draw them back and focussed on Kimiko herself, at which point a swaet-acid chill invaded his chest, and he walked to the PX to give Biggs a going-over. But that night ha was due for a disappointment. She hadn't come to work. By indirect questioning he discovered that Michio was ailing, and she would be out both that day and the next. In fact, shs didn't return for a week, a period of time ha was to recall later as a black patch pasted on grey. But she did raturn, and once again ha was presented with the problem of approach: ths bsar, the corner table, Larson ... a second beer -- but another raucous GI roared up for a refill, and Koontz returned to his corner. Then at last, tired of subterfuge and Evasion, he left Larson in the middle of an exploit, walked to ths bar, waved a couple of customers aside, and bent over. "Whan do you get off?" he asked, not bothering to lowsr his voice. Luckily the juke-box struck a jazzy section, and hid the convsrsation for him. She looksd at him directly. "Eleven." "I'll be thars." He waitsd a momant, not for acquiascsncs but for csrtainty |