Page 8 - a future in the past

He went out into the street. It was not cold. The

temperature was typical of a New York autumn: agreeable

around midday and a little cold in the mornings and the
evenings, especially at nightfall. He headed towards

Jennifer’s car with his hands in his pockets. This was the
perfect way to hide his growing nervousness. He felt like

his hands were surplus to requirements. Not knowing what

to do with them, he decided to keep them hidden.

“Hello again!” he said as he opened the car door.

Jennifer held out her right hand and, with a smile, invited
him to get in. David shook hands with her as delicately as

he could manage and then squeezed awkwardly into the car.

His heavy build was hardly compatible with the
aerodynamic line of Jennifer’s car. Once he was positioned

inside, she started up the engine and headed towards the
south of Manhattan Island.

“I think the best way to exchange our impressions and
theories is if we do it in situ. What do you say?” asked

Jennifer without taking her eyes off the road.

“Sounds fitting,” David concurred, glancing briefly

towards her and noticing, for the first time, that she was
wearing a pair of sunglasses just as aerodynamic as the car

she was driving.

“If it’s okay with you, I’ll park the car in the Village. I
know the neighborhood well because I lived there when I

was a student. Then, we’ll walk across to Ground Zero. I

love walking and talking at the same time.”