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long leg against the bottom of the dashboard. "God damn it!" he bellowed, "I never intended to start! I'm too old to make love in cars! Especially one this size." |
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"Yes, dear," Linda agreed with spurious meekness, "but considering how you made me feel, I think you're too tall rather than too old." |
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Peter made a sound, starting with a growl that ended in a choke of laughter. Then he sighed. "But it isn't funny," he said. "You've got to know I'm half out of my head to grab you like that. All I wanted to do was put my arm around you and try to make you understand why it's so important to me not to upset my aunt." |
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Linda said, "Peter, you've got yourself worked into a lather about nothing" |
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"Maybe because it isn't nothing to me," he interrupted, turning his head away to stare out into the dark. |
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"Peter! Shut up and let me finish what I want to say." |
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"But Gertrude's right about Aunt Em," he interrupted again. "If you quit, she'll fret herself sick over why. And how the hell could I marry you if she" |
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"Peter!" Linda exclaimed, her voice tight with exasperation. "Stop dramatizing yourself and the situation. You're a big boy now. The world is not black and white. There are lots of ways to work this out." |
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"I don't see one, and I've been mulling this over and over, turning it round and round" |
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"That's why you don't see anything. Of course |
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