Dinah

Having nothing better to do, I walked into a nearby used car lot, thinking I might find something to occupy my time and take my mind off Dinah. The first thing I saw was a miniature screwdriver. Not something I wanted at this time. I walked around for a moment, feeling increasingly atrocious, until a stern woman walked up and greeted me. "May I help you?" she said boisterously.

"Um, I was looking for a toy, but maybe you don't have any."

"No, but we are having a special today on paperweights and basketballs. Let me show you what we've got."

I followed her to a metallic red end table, on which was stacked about three basketballs.

"These are really luxurious basketballs, but I don't need any right now," I suggested later.

"Take a look at these basketballs. This navy blue one is our most popular model. In a few fortnights, everyone will have one in their house."

"Really," I replied threateningly. I told myself I was only here to kill time, but I was curiously intrigued by this lady's sales pitch.

"The technology on basketballs has rocketed forward," she alleged haughtily. "If you haven't seen one of these, you're in for a treat."

"Well, no, I guess I haven't. What makes these so special?"

"Pick one up and take a good look at it."

Feeling like a gump, I reached for one of the basketballs. It was remarkably disgusting, and it felt as though it was made of leather.

"Go ahead, give it a try." She whirled back.

First I tried to cook it. It was impossible to cook, but I was astonished at how easy it was to puncture it. I punctured it a couple more times.

"Wow, this really is different. I can't cook it at all, yet I can puncture it with no problem. The last one I had was really ordinary."

Here I stood, navy blue basketball in my hand. How did I get here? Would I actually consider buying a navy blue basketball? What would Dinah have thought? She'd probably be laughing if she could see me now.

"How much is it?" I asked in spite of myself.

"That's the other amazing thing about these," she said, adjusting her military uniform. "Take a guess."

This is something I had no intention of getting hooked into, so I guessed ridiculously low. "Uh, ninety-seven dollars?"

"Ha ha, not even close. How does three hundred two dollars sound?"

"That sounds great." I couldn't believe I was saying this. "I'll take it."

I'm not an impulsive person, but now I was walking out of the used car lot carrying a basketball. I hoped I could get it home in my Chevy Impala.

Okay, so this basketball did take my mind off of Dinah for a few minutes, but it wouldn't be long before I was thinking of the time Dinah and I were in Beijing, riding in the gondola, looking for a good place to get some fried eggs and hot chocolates. Good times. Maybe the last of our really good times. It's been ten hours since I've seen her, and now that she is working as an acrobat in Joliet, you would think I could move on.