Five Women Read Free Page A

hot hands and hot eyes and flying hair.
    â€œI just had an audition for an off-Broadway play,” Eve said brightly. “I was wonderful. The director liked me. He said he’d let me know in a few days if I have a callback. I have a feeling this is going to be my year. I was really marvelous—I felt the energy. Remember I keep telling you, when I feel the energy I’m unstoppable! I could see he felt my energy, too.”
    â€œThat’s good,” Felicity said.
    Eve was only moderately successful, but she never gave up the feeling that she was destined to become a star when she met the right people. Twenty years ago she had landed a role in a daytime soap opera that she kept for five years. During that period she was able to put away enough money to have the luxury of pursuing her career full time. On the show, Eve got the reputation of being difficult, and she never worked in a soap again, but she thought soaps were beneath her anyway and wanted to be on Broadway or in a movie, preferably a Woody Allen movie.
    â€œEven if I get this play, I’d still rather do Broadway,” Eve said. “I need to expand. Maybe there will be contacts for me at Yellowbird tonight. You never know.”
    â€œWell, then, I’ll see you there, I guess.”
    â€œAre Gara and Kathryn coming?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œMaybe I should call some men to join us. What do you think?”
    â€œI just want to be with my friends. I’m tired.”
    â€œWhy are you tired?” Eve snapped. “It’s a state of mind.”
    Oh, Eve . . .
    Kathryn didn’t mind her, because she liked everybody, but Felicity and Gara often asked each other why they put up with Eve. They admitted that sometimes she was fun to be with, and her unremitting narcissism and ego made them view her as a creature from another planet, which they found amusing. Gara, who as a therapist knew about these things, said that it was an interesting phenomenon of female bonding that some women tended to put up with and befriend another woman whom they really didn’t much like. Felicity wondered if it was the scapegoat factor. There was something childish and nastily satisfying to have someone to complain about.
    Or maybe she herself, dissatisfied with her life, was just passive and lonely. Eve got on her nerves, but she wished she had some of Eve’s eternal optimism and confidence. “So I’ll see you there,” Felicity said.
    â€œGet the table I like. You know the one.”
    â€œGara made the reservation.”
    â€œShe doesn’t care where we sit. I need to see and be seen.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œIf I don’t like the table they give us, I’ll make them change it,” Eve said.
    â€œI’m sure you will,” Felicity sighed. She hated it when Eve had their table changed. Eve always wanted to sit near the smoking section because she thought her important contacts would be sitting there, and then she complained when people smoked. She also hated how Eve insisted on dividing the bill up to the penny, and always managed to come out ahead. This time she was going to get there before Eve did and tell the waiter from now on Eve had to be given her own check.
    She hung up. “Was that Eve?” Russell said.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œI could tell from the tone of your voice. I thought you couldn’t stand her.”
    â€œShe’s all right,” Felicity said. Russell even knew whom she was talking to. A closeness she would have happily welcomed from someone else made her feel frightened and trapped when it came from her husband. There were many reasons for that. But she wasn’t going to think about them now. Right now she just wanted to get out of the house.
    She hit the street running, hailed a cab, settled into it, gave the address of Yellowbird, and smiled.

Chapter Two
    A MONG THE NOISY SINGLES HANGOUTS , the bars, the bagel shops, the nice little neighborhood