If you do it again, you will never be allowed to...
If you do it again, you will never be allowed to go into New York by yourself
"Says who?"
"Your father
"I'll make a deal with you
"What's the deal, Father?"
"If you ever go into New York again and you find it's getting late and you have to stay somewhere, you stay with the Umanoffs
"The Umanoffs?"
"They like you, you like them, they've known you all your lifeThey have a very nice apartment
"Well, the people I stayed with have a very nice apartment too
"Who are they?"
"I told you, they're Sh-sherry's friends
"Who are they?"
"Bill and Melissa
"And who are Bill and Melissa?"
"They're p-p-p-people
"What do they do for a living? How old are they?"
"Melissa's top chanel bags twenty-two
"Are they students?"
"They were studentsNow they organize people for the betterment of the Vietnamese
"Where do they live?"
"What are you going to do, come and get me?"
"I'd like to know where they liveThere are all sorts of neighborhoods in New YorkSome are good, some aren't
"They live in a perfectly fine neighborhood and a perfectly fine b-b-b-b-building
"Where?"
"They live up in Morningside Heights
"Are they Columbia students?"
"They were
"How many people stay in this apartment?"
"I don't see why I have to answer all these questions
"Because you're my daughter and you are sixteen years old
"So for the rest of my life, because I'm your daughter--"
"No, when old omega watches you are eighteen and graduate high school, you can do whatever you want
"So the difference we're talking about here is two years
"And what's the b-big thing that's going to happen in two years?"
"You will be an independent person who can support herself
"I can support myself now if I w-w-w-w-wanted to
"I don't want you to stay with Bill and Melissa
"W-w-w-why?"
"It's my responsibility to look after youI want you to stay with the UmanoffsIf you can agree to do that, then you can go to New York and stay overOtherwise you won't be permitted to go there at all
"I'm in there to stay with the people I want to stay with
"Then you're not going to New York
"There is no 'we'll see' discount tiffany's necklace You're not going and that's the end of it
"I'd like to see you stop meIf you can't agree to stay with the Umanoffs, then you can't go to New York
"What about the war--"
"My responsibility is to you and not to the war
"Oh, I know your responsibility is not to the war--that's why I have to go to New YorkB-b-b-because people there do feel responsibleThey feel responsible when America b-blows up Vietnamese villagesThey feel responsible when America is b-blowing little b-babies to b-b-b-b-bitsB-but you don't, and neither does MotherYou don't care enough to let it upset a single day of yoursYou don't care enough to make you spend another night somewhereYou don't stay up at night worrying zucca spy fendi bag about itYou don't really care, Daddy, one way or the other
Conversations #24, 25, and 26 about New York"I can't have these conversations, DaddyI won't! I refuse to! Who talks to their parents like this!"
"If you are underage and you go away for the day and don't come home at night, then you damn well talk to your parents like this
"B-b-but you drive me c-c-c-crazy, this kind of sensible parent, trying to be understanding! I don't want to be understood--I want to be f-f-f-free!"
"Would you like it better if I were a senseless parent trying not to understand you?"
"I would! I think I would! Why don't you fucking t-t-try it for a change and let me fucking see!"
Conversation #29 about New chanel necklace Y