The little man outside the room was holding my jacket. Li was waiting in the elevator. The girl with the white gloves looked at the carpet.
“As usual, you didn’t take my advice, I can tell,” Li said.
“As usual, it wasn’t very good advice.”
As we retraced our steps, I remembered it had been a long time since I’d eaten. “You hungry?”
“No, but I’ll watch.”
“Don’t worry; I’ll buy.”
Li shook his head. “At these prices, you’ll change your mind, believe me.”
We drove back up the ramp out of the garage into the night. “So find a cheap restaurant. I probably owe you. Where am I staying, by the way?”
Li took a piece of paper from his pocket. “You’re an honored guest, O. Anything you want. Wine, women, color TV.”
We drove a few blocks and then turned parallel to the river.
“That bad, huh?”
“I told you.”
“So you did. Who was that character at the end of the table?”
The car pulled up to a building that was spilling oceans of electricity into a neon sign. “Here’s your hotel,” Li said. He’d heard my question; he wasn’t going to answer. “Pleasant dreams. You can call room service if you’re hungry. Put it on the room tab.”
“I walk in, they smile and hand me a key?”
“We don’t use keys anymore. Electronic locks. The room is stocked with liquor. Drink it up. Watch TV as much as you want; lots of stations from lots of places. It may amuse you.” He looked at me, funnylike.
“What?”
“You ever heard of Rip van Winkle?”
“Dutchman, by the sound of it.”
“Went to sleep, woke up in a different world.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll set the alarm for five years from now.”
“Don’t bother; it’s already here.”