clorinda had thought george was somebody she could use, but when george introduced her to gonzalvo, she thought, here is somebody i can really use.
“my man gonzalvo here is not just a bum or a cab driver,” george told clorinda and carlo, “he is a revolutionary.”
better and better, thought clorinda. she gave gonzalvo a big smile. “i have always wanted to meet a real revolutionary.”
gonzalvo did not blink. “george tells me you are a princess.”
clorinda laughed. “that’s right. have you ever wanted to meet a real princess?”
“i never thought about it much. why do you want to meet a real revolutionary? do you want to be one yourself?”
the conversation was interrupted by the bellow of dave the floorman - “g z for the three game!” g z was gonzalvo.
“pass!” gonzalvo shouted back.
“we got a seat in the three game,” dave shouted. “omaha hi lo six and twelve! anybody want omaha hi lo six and twelve!”
george jumped up. “i’ll take it!” he glanced down at gonzalvo and clorinda. “i’ll - uh - leave you kids to it.”
but gonzalvo and clorinda hardly noticed him as he left. they had already made up their minds that they could use each other.
clorinda leaned across the seat george had vacated. “you were saying?’ she asked gonzalvo,
“i asked if you wanted to be a revolutionary yourself, ” gonzalvo asked in a lower voice than they had all been speaking in.
“i might.”
gonzalvo nodded. “then maybe we should go someplace else to continue this conversation.”
“how mysterious.”
“no, i’m serious,” gonzalvo replied in an even lower voice. “don’t be obvious about it, but look at the fellow in the red hat on the two table - the one in the middle.”
“what about him?”
“he is an agent of the 5th bureau - the agency that -“
clorinda and carlo both laughed. “we know all about the 5th bureau,” clorinda said.
“well, you know that there is such a thing,” gonzalvo replied mildly. “which may be all anybody knows. and he is surely not the only one here. and dave himself - that’s the owner, the big guy over there, he has to stay in the good graces of everybody. so, humor me - let’s go somewhere a little more private.”
“all right,” clorinda agreed.
“but i wanted to play,” carlo protested.
“then stay here,” clorinda told him.
what about george?” carlo asked.
“george can find his way home by himself.” clorinda stood up. she looked at gonzalvo. “let’s go.”
gonzalvo got up too. “you are next up,” he told carlo. “but i waited more than an hour when i was next up.”
carlo hesitated. “i think i’ll stay.”
“suit yourself.”
carlo watched clorinda and gonzalvo as they walked out the door. then he turned his gaze on the man in the red hat.
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