第16部分 (第3/8页)

　thought…provoking。　He？d　done　so　much　in　his

life　already？had　a　poem　published　in　theNew　Yorker　；　interned　atRed　Herring　；　sung　his　original

songs　with　the　Raves？but　it　was　kind　of　thrilling　to　discover　something　deeper　and　more

meaningful　than　fleeting　fame。

Finding　enlightenment　in　less　than　a　week？it　must　be　some　kind　of　world　record。

He　pulled　a　clean；　bright　green　American　Apparel　T…shirt　over　his　head；　smoothed　out　his　tousled

light　brown　hair；　and　laced　up　his　ice…blue　New　Balances。　He　popped　a　piece　of　icy　mint　gum　into

his　mouth　and　exhaled　into　the　palm　of　his　hand　to　double…check　his　breath：　not　a　trace　of　tobacco。

He　wadded　up　his　work　clothes　and　stashed　them　in　his　employee　locker；　then　jogged　up　the　stairs

and　out　of　the　store；　toward　nearby　Union　Square。

Bree　was　waiting　for　him　near　the　statue　of　a　placidly　smiling　Gandhi　in　the　southwest　corner　of

the　bustling　park　near　skanky…but…getting…better　Fourteenth　Street。　？I　like　to　go　there　sometimes；？

she？d　told　him　over　the　phone。　？To　read　and　reflect　on　Gandhi？s　message　of　peace。？

Don？t　we　all？

Bree　had　braided　her　platinum　blond　hair　and　wound　it　tightly　into　a　bun　at　the　base　of　her　neck。

She　was　sporting　a　clean　white　T…shirt　emblazoned　with　the　Adidas　logo　and　iridescent　blue

running　shorts　that　were　cropped　short　and　showcased　her　well…muscled；　lean；　long　legs。　When

she　spied　Dan；　she　stood