Paper Man Page #4

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that's rotting in your fridge

and throw out,

or you could toss it into a pot

and make soup out of it

So l go with soup.

- [slurping]

Oh.

lt's superb.

- Thank you.

- No, really.

lt's excellent

- Do you remember the moment

when you reaIized

that soup didn't have

to come out of a can,

you know, like all manufactured,

that your chicken noodle

couId kick

Campbell's chicken noodle's ass

any day of the week?

- I think I'm having

that moment right now.

- [chuckles]

Plus, it's very nutritious,

which is good.

- Whatwhat happened there?

- Oh.

Sorry.

It's just

it's a boyfriend thing.

Just, um,

the bird kind of reminded me

of him.

He's chickenshit

- Oh.

Actually, it's not a chicken.

lt's the North American

heath hen.

Related to the greater

prairie chicken,

but not technically a chicken.

- Oh.

- lt's extinct now.

The last few lived out here

out on the nature preserve

at Camp Hero.

- Hmm.

l did not know that

- l'm not a birder or anything.

lt's just, the last surviving

heath hen

is a character in...

- ln what?

- That bird's just

it's the main character of this

book that,

you know, l'm attempting

to produce, to write,

finish.

Actually, to start.

Saying it out loud just sounded

kind of stupid.

-Well, there's Chicken Little,

you know, and Little Red Hen.

- Henny Penny.

- Yeah, exactly.

Exactly.

Oh, you know, there's a lot

of books out there

about poultry.

[laughter]

- We should settle up.

- Okay.

- ls that about right?

- Actually, l'm $12 an hour.

- Oh, okay.

l only have a $10.

Do you have change?

- Let me check.

- So how come your boyfriend's

a chickenshit?

None of my business.

Sorry.

- No, he just

He just bugs.

You know, it's like when he's

with me, it's all,

"Oh, you know."

And when he's with his friends,

he's all, "Ugh, whatever."

lt's justyou know,

he's a f***ing chickenshit

- Right

- Okay, so thank you.

- Mmm-hmm.

Thank you.

Can l ask you a quick question?

- Sure.

- Does this couch

make me look fat?

- l wouldn't sit there.

- Hmm.

- So okay.

Good luck with the chicken book.

- Same time next week?

- Um...

Okay.

- You didn't tell me your name.

[door creaking]

- Richard?

Richard.

- Are we separated?

- What?

- ls this a trial separation,

what we're doing?

- What makes you think that?

- l don't know.

Our separateness.

- Sweetie,

if we were separating,

you'd be the first to know.

- l guess.

- Well, we would have

discussed it

Trust me.

- Okay.

Whew, good.

lt just moved.

- Well, that's not possible.

lt's been boiled to death.

- Poor little Louie.

- Well, don't name it, Richard.

l mean, do whatever you want

No, don't

don't name your food.

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