Archives

American Dream Serialization (Early Chapters): Introduction to Jim Chaffee's Studies in Mathematical Pornography by Maurice Stoker; Introduction to Jim Chaffee's Studies in Mathematical Pornography by Tom Bradley; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: American Dream Title Page by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 1 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 2 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 3 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 4 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 5 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 6 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 7 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 8 by Jim Chaffee; Studies in Mathematical Pornography: Chapter 9 by Jim Chaffee
01-01-2012: Chapter from The Infinite Atrocity by Kane X. Faucher; Support the Troops By Giving Them Posthumous Boners by Tom Bradley
01-10-2011: When Good Pistols Do Bad Things by Kurt Mueller; Corporate Strategies by Bruce Douglas Reeves; The Dead Sea by Kim Farleigh; The Perfect Knot by Ernest Alanki; Girlish by Bob Bartholomew
01-07-2011: The Little Ganges by Joshua Willey; The Invisible World: René Magritte by Nick Bertelson; Honk for Jesus by Mitchell Waldman
01-04-2011: Red's Dead by Eli Richardson; The Memphis Showdown by Gabriel Ricard; Someday Man by John Grochalski
01-01-2011: I Was a Teenage Rent-a-Frankenstein by Tom Bradley; Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Fred Bubbers
10-01-2010: Believe in These Men by Adam Greenfield; The Magnus Effect by Robert Edward Sullivan; Performance Piece by Jim Chaffee
07-01-2010: Injustice for All by D. E. Fredd; The Polysyllogistic Curse by Gary J. Shipley; How It's Done by Anjoli Roy; Ghost Dance by Connor Caddigan; Two in a Van by Pavlo Kravchenko
04-01-2010: Uncreated Creatures by Connor Caddigan; Invisible by Anjoli Roy; One of Us by Sonia Ramos Rossi; Storyteller by Alan McCormick
01-01-2010: Idolatry by Robert Smith; P H I L E M A T O P H I L I A by Traci Chee; They Do! by Al Po
Full TEX Archive

Photo Finish - 3

By Anya Wassenberg

Marty pulls up his pants. He's signed a release and is back downstairs before I'm half dressed. Rick has my paperwork ready, and we sort out the pay as I fill in the blanks and sign.

Marty and I watch as Rick packs up and gets back into his black BMW. We wave when he starts it up and drives away.

"How much?" Marty asks me.

And just as I go to answer, I see Blondie's reflection again in the glass on the door, as clear as anything. She still looks polished, her hair looks even better for being tousled. Though of course the lipstick's gone, her lips are reddened from the friction - now there's a good shot to keep in mind for next time. I watch as she mouths the words.

"Three hundred and fifty US dollars. He said he'd probably want to do another shoot, too, maybe next week." The lips pause a moment, then smile. "Should we go out for dinner?"

Marty tightens his arm around my waist, checking back into the living room at what's on the TV set. "Sure babe. Just let me finish watching my shows."

So I give him a kiss before going back upstairs to clean up, put away all the lingerie and jump into a quick shower to wash Blondie's paint from my face. I brush my teeth, swish out my mouth with cold water, and spit in the sink. But I give her one last smile and a wink in the mirror. The best thing about Blondie is, when you pack her away, you pack away her memories too. She gives them very little, really, just a performance. They get her skin, no more. And there's too many to remember anyone in particular. Rick is already gone, somewhere, nowhere, never happened.

"Hon?" I call out to Marty, hesitating just before I step into the tub. "Do you know what the exchange rate is today?"