Chapter 12

The cab smelled horrific. It really did. It smelt like someone had left dirty nappies on the back seat. The streets were pretty much empty. I mean every now and again I saw a couple crossing the road or a group of phoney guys with their dates.

I sort of just started talking randomly to the driver. Horwitz was his name. “Hey, Horwitz. Do you know where they ducks go in winter?”
“Where who goes where?”
“The ducks. You know from the little lagoon in central park?”
“Erm.“
“Take that as a no then.”
“The fish don’t go anywhere.”
“I’m not talking about the fish.” We dropped the whole thing about fish after a while. It was getting pretty annoying. It really was. I asked him if he wanted to come for a drink with me. But he didn’t want to.

After I waited around for like five hours I finally got a table. The next thing I know I had this girl in my face.
“Holden Caulfield!”
Her name was Lillian Simmons, she knew my brother. She asked me how he was and everything. She seemed pretty nice. She asked me if wanted to sit with her, but I told her I was leaving. I had to leave after that. I didn’t have a choice. So that’s what I did. Left. People are always ruining things for you.