Oh dear, I thought. A clever Radcliffe girl. I can usually
make girls like her feel very small. But I needed that damn
book, so I had to be polite.
'Listen, I need that damn book.'
'Don't speak like that to a lady, Preppie.'
'Why are you so sure that I went to prep school?'
She took off her glasses. 'You look stupid and rich,' she
said.
'You're wrong,' I said. 'I'm actually clever and poor.'
'Oh no, Preppie,' she said. 'I'm clever and poor.'
She was looking straight at me. All right, she had pretty
brown eyes; and OK, perhaps I looked rich. But I don't let
anyone call me stupid.
'What makes you so clever?' I asked.
'I'm not going to go for coffee with you,' she said.
'Listen - I'm not going to ask you!'
'That', she said, 'is what makes you stupid.'
Let me explain why I took her for coffee. I got the book
that I wanted, didn't I? And she couldn't leave the library
until closing time. So I was able to study the book for a good
long time. I got an A in my exam the next day.
I gave the girl's legs an A too, when she came out from
behind the library desk. We went to a coffee shop and I
ordered coffee for both of us.
'I'm Jennifer Cavilleri,' she said. 'I'm American, but my
family came from Italy. I'm studying music'
'My name is Oliver,' I said.
'Is that your first or your last name?' she asked.