She grabs my hand and kisses me on my cheek as if we were old lovers rekindling a flame. She is wearing a wool coat and shows just a bit of bare skin. I notice freckles on her breasts and ankles uncovered.

You’re going to freeze to death, I tell her. Not if you keep me warm, she says. And I try my best to keep her warm, placing my arm around her waist, pulling her in by my side. I notice that her hips are wide. Her brunette hair collects snow falling from the heavens.

Come with me, she says as she yanks me into an alley. This woman is kissing me and holding on for dear life, lifting her coat to expose no clothes at all, only her body. Make it quick, she demands. Make it quick.

The morning sun is beginning to come out over the city. We kiss. Do you still want that cup of coffee? I ask her. She laughs, kisses me again, and says, I am now awakened.

Snow has stopped falling. City plows are sweeping the streets. We climb the stairs to Kurtz’s Tower, and she bids me good morning. Come again, she says. Come again.

She unlocks her door and walks in, closing it just a bit. Her green eyes look at me one last time. She whispers, I am Gladys. It is nice to have met you.

The door is closed.