“Please, don’t scream,” I said.

Well, that didn’t work.

She did scream. The man stood up naked from the bed, pulling the sheet from the woman. She tugged back. He didn’t want to have anything to do with me.

I moved quickly to the door. “I’m going. Please be quiet. I have no interest in either of you.”

The woman stopped screaming as I reached for the door. “Where’d he come from? Where did he come from?” she asked.

“The window,” the man said.

The woman and I paused at his response. I muttered another apology and stepped into the empty corridor. If I was any kind of mathematician, then I was correct to assume that I was now on the seventh floor. I found the stairs and went down to my floor and room. I put Trigo into the gym bag and crossed the hall to Eigen’s room. We waited in her closet.

An hour went by and I must have dozed because I was startled alert by Gloria’s voice saying, “He’s not here. He’s left the hotel.”

I peeked out to see that she was making her report over the phone.

“Yes, he has his dog,” she said.

Eigen was seated on the bed behind her. She unzipped the front of her bodysuit and fell back, stared at the ceiling.

“I’ll go out and walk along the canal, see if I can find him.” Gloria ended the call and walked out of the room.

I waited a few minutes, in which time I believed that Eigen had drifted to sleep. I stood over her, said her name softly. Again. I put Trigo on the bed next to her and took a look into the hallway. Then I went to her window and looked down at M Street.

“Oh, fat face,” I heard her say. I turned to find her holding him.

“Eigen, we’re getting out of here.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” she said. “Wala, I don’t feel so good.”

“Do you have any clothes that are more understated? You’re rather easy to spot dressed like that.

“Yes.”

“Good. Get changed and I’ll be right back.” While she changed, I went back into my room and pulled a light gray suit from the closet. I put on a dress shirt with no tie and slipped into dress shoes. I forgot socks, but I didn’t care. Back in Eigen’s room I was surprised to find her ready to go. She was wearing a simple yellow dress and sandals. She looked like her usual kind and gentle self and was suddenly pretty. A condition that might have always existed, but I was just now seeing it.

“We have to go,” I said.

“You look funny,” she said.

“I know,” I said. “I feel funny. Okay, we’re just going to walk calmly out of the hotel and into Georgetown and try to find my car. Just keep your head down.”

She dropped her chin to her chest.

“Not that far down. You’re not to look like I beat you.” I realized at that moment that my manner of addressing Eigen had changed. I was at once more direct and less parental. “Let’s go.”