CANNIBALS AT LE ZOO

Carrie is at this new restaurant, Le Zoo, having dinner with a bunch of people she doesn't really know, including the new «It» boy, Ra. The restaurant has about three tables, and it's overbooked, so everyone stands on the sidewalk. Someone keeps bringing bottles of white wine outside. Pretty soon there's a party on the street. It's the beginning of the heat wave, and people are nice: "Oh, I've been dying to meet you." "We have to work together." "We have to see each other more." Carrie is talking to everyone and not hating anyone. Not feeling like everyone hates her for a change.

Inside the restaurant, Carrie sits between Ra and his female manager. Someone from the New York Times keeps taking everyone's picture. Ra doesn't talk much. He stares a lot and touches his goatee and nods his head. After dinner, Carrie

goes back to Ra's manager's house with the manager and Ra to smoke. It seems to be the right thing to do at the time, in the summer, in the heat. The smoke is strong. It's late. They walk her to a cab.

"We call this place the zone," the manager says. She's staring at Carrie.

Carrie thinks she actually knows what she's talking about, what this «zone» is, and why they're suddenly all in it together.

"Why don't you come and live with us in the zone?" Ra asks.

"I'd like to," Carrie says, meaning it but also thinking, I've got to get home.

She rides uptown, but before she gets home she says, "Stop the cab." She actually gets out and walks. She's still thinking, I've got to get home. The city is hot. She feels powerful. Like a predator. A woman is walking down the sidewalk a few feet in front of her.

She's wearing a loose white shirt, it's like a white flag and it's driving Carrie crazy. Suddenly Carrie feels like a shark smelling blood. She fantasizes about killing the woman and eating her. It's terrifying how much she's enjoying the fantasy.

The woman has no idea she's being stalked. She's oblivious, jiggling along the sidewalk. Carrie envisions tearing into the woman's soft, white flesh with her teeth. It's the woman's own fault, she should lose weight or something. Carrie stops and turns into her building.

"Good evening, Miss Carrie," says the doorman.

"Good evening, Carlos," Carrie says.

"Everything okay?"

"Oh yes, everything's fine."

"Good night now," Carlos says, sticking his head around the open door of the elevator. He smiles.

"Good night, Carlos." She smiles back, showing all of her teeth.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 878