The Trade Read Online Free PDF

want to know?" she asked.
    "Yeah I really want to know,” Jay
answered.
    Tonia accelerated away from Jay in a
surprising burst of speed that caught him flat-footed. Her long
graceful strides were a thing of beauty and power. Jay understood
now that she was about to completely dust him. He set off after her
as best he could. Yesterday's beers and pizza didn't help. After
two miles of furious chasing, and falling farther and farther
behind, he saw Tonia slow down and jog back towards him, looking
for him, waiting. A couple of minutes later he finally crested the
low rolling hill where she was waiting.
    Sweat poured off his face. Jay bent over,
putting his hands on his knees and gasping for air. He thought he
might vomit as an acid copper liquid filtered up into his mouth
from his raging stomach.
    "Oh. About that race? I won,” she said,
hardly out of breath.
    "I believe it,” he answered.
    "Would you have believed me if I'd just told
you?" she asked.
    "Yeah,” he answered.
    "Liar.”
    "Busted," Jay said. They both laughed at his
honesty, and at his being caught.
    "You want to just trot back?" Tonia
asked.
    "Trot. Or walk,” Jay answered. Jay even
considered getting a cab. Tonia and Jay set off again at a
leisurely pace. They were talking and joking and enjoying the
beautiful, cool, Sunday morning. Jay was getting the idea that
every day in New York City was better than the one before and
better than could ever be had anywhere else.
    "Thanks for the run,” Tonia said when they
got back to where they had started. Jay thought it sounded like she
was saying good-bye. Something was different in her voice. She
seemed unwilling to look him in the eyes.
    "Oh no, thank you,” Jay replied. "I'm not
sure I would have done this if you hadn't got me out of bed.” Tonia
looked at Jay. Jay could see in her eyes that she was apparently
trying to make some decision.
    "Look Jay. You're a nice guy, kind of cute, a
lot of laughs. You like baseball and you jog. Maybe if we'd met
under different circumstances..." she trailed off. Jay was cooling
off from the run and suddenly a chill went through him that was
more than just the cool breeze blowing through his damp clothes.
She went on.
    "I had a lot of fun yesterday, thanks again
for knocking down that line drive, but I gotta go.” She made
motions to leave. Jay sensed that she was torn by her decision, her
choices.
    "Wait,” he said. "Why don't we trade phone
numbers and call each other once in a while okay? Maybe go for a
jog. Nothing serious," Jay asked. She didn't answer right away. She
wouldn't look at him. Jay looked around and saw a policeman writing
up a ticket for a cyclist who had been going too fast in the
fifteen mile per hour lane in Central Park. Jay sprinted over to
the cop, borrowed a pen and a piece of paper. He carefully wrote
down his name and phone number at college. He scanned his note,
considered, and then added his parent's number as well. "I've got a
couple weeks left at school, then I'll be at my parents for awhile
until I move and start work.” Jay was trying not to sound too
pathetic and too pleading. But he really wanted to see Tonia again.
He decided to make one last try.
    "So, if you want to go to a ball game or you
need a jogging buddy to slow you down sometime, give me a call, no
commitment, okay?"
    Tonia finally looked up from the spot on the
ground where she'd been staring. She moved closer to him. Her navy
blue eyes focused in on his. Her blonde hair, pulled back by a
runner's head band, shone a dull gold in the tree filtered morning
sunlight. Joggers and cyclists and roller bladers streamed past in
bright Lycra or dull grey sweats. She took another step toward Jay
and reached out and pulled him towards her, gathering him into a
tender, then quickly frantic embrace. She held him and put her head
on his shoulder for what was just an instant but what Jay
remembered as being much longer. Stepping back, she broke the
contact. Tears seemed to be welling, she