The Way It Was - Frederik Pohl, ebook, CALIBRE SFF 1970s, Temp 2
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THE WAY IT WASTHE WAY IT WASBy Frederik PohlVersion 1.0This is the third kiss of death story in this volume. This one I was maneuveredinto by that secret master of us all, Harlan Ellison. He called me up one day totell me there was a new magazine to be published by Bob Guccione-not Omni; itwas long before Omni- whose editor, he said, was slavering to have a shortarticle on the future written by me. Well, short articles on the future I sneezeout at the slightest request, and the money was good; when the editor called alittle later, I told her I'd be glad to do it. We talked a little bit aboutsubject matter, and I sat down to write it. I was typing happily along when thephone rang again. Had I understood, she wanted to know, that by "piece' shemeant fiction piece-specifically, not an article but a short story? I had not. Iwouldn't have started on the thing if I had. Still, in the course of thinkingabout the themes I wanted to touch on in the article I had dreamed up whatseemed to me a brand-new aspect of a long considered subject. So I said, allright, I'll do a story.. . and did.. and then, what do you know, the newmagazine died stillborn. The story languished in Bob Guccione's files for a yearor two until he started another new magazine. This one was called Viva, and mystory appeared in its first issue. But this time the Pharaoh's curse had not yetfinished its work. Viva's first issue was also its last, and this time I hadslain not one but two magazines with a single story.This is the way it was with Stan and Evanie: they fell in love. When Stan cameout of the waking-up room at Blue Balls, Evanie was there, pretty and new on thejob and a little flustered, to give him his check and see that everything wasall right. One thing led to another. An hour later they were lying in the longgrass at the foot of a waterfall, gently stoned, skin bare on the warm, softturf, listening to Rorschach Rock while sweet bunnies and gentle chipmunkspeered at them from the edges of the lawn.It was like the first time for both of them, only better, because they each knewevery move the other was going to make and leapt to meet each other; there wasnever skin softer or smoother than Evanie's, never a breast as firm. Stan stayedhard inside her for fifty-four minutes, never impatient, bringing her with joythrough gasps and shudders until both of them had had it all and they lay spentand contented among the violets. It was like the first time, because it wasalways like the first time; and, as always, the first they knew that it was overwas when the waterfall stopped and the bunnies froze in midhop."Oh," said Evanie drowsily, "shit. She sat up and leaned away from him,scratching the inside of her thigh. "I guess I better get back to work, Sam."Stan."It was really nice, though, Stan."Yeah. Now that the breezes had stopped, too, Stan became aware of the way theysmelled. In the city outside this room he would never have noticed it, but afterthe perfumed flowers it was a bring-down, and now that the soft sunlight wasoff, the lawn was only CelloTurf again and it itched.The next couple was already waiting in the entry room. Stan and Evanie nodded tothem and pushed their checks into the locker slots. As they got dressed Stansaid, "I'd really like to do this again some time."Zip me up, will you?"No, I mean it, Evanie.She patted his shoulder absently and pushed the door open. They walked out intothe city, and the heat and the stink smote them. Behind them the liquid-crystalsign glowed its message:Harry's Place 30 Studsy Sex Spectaculars 30The colors flowed into Super-Stud embracing the tenderest blond beauty who everlived, with waving palms dissolving into mirrored walls behind them."Thanks, Stan. I'll see you.He put out his hand to stop her. "I seriously mean I want to do it again,Evanie."But it's so expensive!"I've got a thousand dollars a week, he said proudly. "I can afford it now, whatthe hell?She was suddenly blinded with tears. "And how do you get it'? she sobbed. No!Let go of my arm, Stan. I've got to go.He called after her, sweet little rump jouncing under the hem of the work-minias she hurried away. but she didn't look back. Perplexed-and, he realized,hungry- he pushed his way through the crowded hall to a fast- food. "Fuck her,"he said to the cashier as he pushed his credit card into its slot, but it wasonly a money machine and did not reply.Two hours later he was still sitting at the same table in the fast-food, but hehad switched from food to drink. "I don't have to eat in a joint like this, hetold the man across from him. The man had been sitting there for ten minutes,nursing a cup of imitation coffee and eying Stan's collection of empty glasses.He brightened up."Yeah. I could tell that by looking at you. You're used to better places, right,Mac?"I damn am."You can always tell somebody with, you know, some kind of status. It's the wayyou sit there, even."Right, said Stan. "Want a drink?The man looked at the flickering digits on the wall clock. "Well, he said, "Ireally ought to be getting along- Which was doubtful; he was Welfare fromclipped head to fabric shoes, nothing to do but wait for Thursday (payday), justthe way Stan had been most of his life. Stan's face must have showed what he wasthinking; the man said quickly, "Still, I wouldn't mind a beer.Stan pushed his card into the cashier and read out the total glumly; after thebeer, the readout showed he had $766.22 left in his account. Harry's Placewasn't cheap. "I just came from Harry's, he said. "You ever been there? Nicelittle screwery, if the company's right."I bet she was, huh?"You won that bet. Prettiest little thing you ever saw. I met her at... I mether where we both work."I had a job, the man said enviously. "What kind of work do you do'?"Parts. What about your job?"Well, it was in personal service. I worked up in the penthouse areas when I wasyounger. Sort of general handyman. I used to go to places like Harry's all thetime. Stud farms, casinos, travel-I've been skiing, two or three times. Heknocked back the rest of his beer and pushed the empty container absentmindedlyinto the middle of the table. "Yeah, you can have a pretty good life, when youhave a job. What kind of parts do you mean?"All different ones. The forget-it shots were wearing off, the selectiveproteins that numbed the sense of boredom and made everything seem fresh andexciting, even sex, and Stan was rapidly tiring of his company. Funnily, hewasn't tiring of Evanie. In his not particularly adventurous life she wasprobably the five- or six-hundredth girl he'd screwed, and the fourth or fifthhe had taken to Harry's, after he found out how to get a thousand dollars a weekfor practically nothing, but there was something about her that stuck in hismind. No, not in his mind; he could feel a crawling between his thighs when hethought of her, even with the forget-it wearing off and being in this crummyjoint.The Welfare man saw his next free beer wriggling off the hook. "Let me tell youwhat it's like, up in the high- rent district, he said. "You know they've gotswimming pools bigger than this whole restaurant, water so clean you'd think itwas perfume? Dances, with live orchestras?"I heard."It isn't the same, just hearing it or seeing it on the tube; you have to bethere. Friend, the happiest days of my life were when I was up there. The womenwore clothes that lit up, and turned peekaboo, and just hugged their littlebutts like skin. Just to look at them was enough! Almost enough. And half ofthem were just begging to get balled by the hired help, beds you wouldn'tbelieve, all the grass and fine wine you could handle-"You talked me into it, Stan said cruelly. "I think I'll head up there for avisit now.It wasn't exactly a lie, he told himself. He really could go up there, at leastlong enough to spend the rest of his thousand dollars in one of the restaurantslooking out into the clouds over the ocean; and maybe he would.* * *Plenty of money in the balance, nothing to do Stan wandered through the midlevelstreets of the city, reminding himself that anything he saw he could buy if hewanted to. This was all Welfare country; not a soul in sight that had had a dimein capital or a dollar's pay in ten years. He wasted a few dollars in a gameparlor. bought himself a new wristlet because it looked like something Evaniewould appreciate. stopped to buy some popsoy to give to a couple ofnice-looking, hungry-looking kids but decided against it-you never knew whenthey might threaten to call the fuzz for molesting them if you didn't pay off.That wasn't his style; all he wanted to molest was a pretty lady. There wasplenty of that around. too, and he cased the available material carefullywithout seeing anything that took his fancy.What took his fancy was Evanie.But what was the use of that, when she let him spend two and a half big bills inHarry's Place and then took off without even saying she'd see him again? Mostgirls appreciated that kind of thing a little more. That was half the best partof it, not just the fucking but taking her to a place your average working mancouldn't afford more than twice a year and your Welfare stiff couldn't getinside the door of.He found he was near an observation gallery, and pushed his card into theadmissions turnstile-five dollars to look out the window!-and strolled out. Eventhere it was crowded, mostly couples and co...
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