chapter 4: remnants of the cold war

Here you go, Lilia:

Remnants of the Cold War (on a Thursday morning)
Finishing the Cryptoquip between Mountain View and Palo Alto on the 373 Wednesday night (O equals F, and "QO L ULVUDXX YLF OLCZDC VDCD MLTTDB LMB JSK QM JCQXAM, YD ZQWYK KCP KA WDK ASK AM TLUD" equals "If a lawless hay farmer were nabbed and put in prison, he might try to get out on bale") I read my horoscope. Horoscopes, as a rule, are vague enough to tell you what you want them to about your upcoming day. I'd always found that reading them at the end of the day made them prove their merit. And Wednesday's wanted to: People are ready to go. Why are you riding the brake? Don't let anxiety call the shots. The only way to tell if things will work is to try. Maybe I should have read that before the woman with the hypnotic eyes and perfect smile took the crowded three-top one row up instead of the empty four-top I was holding for her on the 324 that morning. Maybe then I would have eked out more than a "see you tomorrow?" as I de-trained at Mountain View and have gotten more than a hesitant smile in return.

Union Square smelled of freshly cut grass as I walked through it the next day at 7:30am. Whether it was the spring air or the day before's horoscope or the Negronis and burgers from the previous night, I decided that today would be the day I said something to the woman, be it aloud or via a clandestinely passed note on the airmail stationary I'd tossed in my bag as I left my apartment on Bush.

The short, thin, married woman with the 4 inch Frankenstein platform shoes reading Motherhood Without Guilt, "Without" presenting itself in a self-empowered underlined Sharpie-style font, capitalized and giving the finger to Chicago style, snarled at me as I absently flipped the pages of the Chronicle while looking to see if my recent obsession had gotten on at 22nd. Ignoring my thoughts on horoscopes I found myself in the Classifieds and read A matter that was supposed to be signed, sealed, and delivered is suddenly postponed. Don't react too hastily. This could be advantageous. Somewhere, someone's glass is half-full.