overheard at the confluence, 10:32 a.m. "—no, I said eleven but she said ten-thirty so now there's two of us in the waiting room and neither one belongs to the other's hour—" "—the trick with staging is you remove everything that proves someone lives there. You want the ghost of a person. The idea of coffee." "—she's good, the acupuncturist, she finds the spot where Wednesday pools—" "—rate's locked til March but honestly who knows what March even—" "—I haven't seen you since—" "—I know—" "—you look—" "—I know—" [sound of a dark horse drinking from shallow water very quietly]