burst into the room, and found Mental with his hands closing on a canister of film. 'MENTAL, NO!' Gently I pried his fingers from my treasure. 'Come on, Mental, time to go home. I'm going to sleep now. Everyone's leaving.'

'I'm okay,' he said. 'Don't worry. I do another hit of smack and then go. I'm okay, tee hee, I'm okay.'

It took a few minutes to get him downstairs because he kept stopping to look around and pat his pockets. Then he crouched on the floor and played with a scab on his ankle.

'Come on, Mental.'

'Where's my smack?'

'I don't know, where did you leave it?'

'Here's a package of something,' said Doctor Bo. 'But whatever it was is wet.'

'Wet? Wait, tee hee, wait.'

'Get out of the water, Mental. Mental, stop splashing.'

'Tee hee, wait, I'm looking.'

'What are you looking for? Put down the broom. Mental! What are you doing?'

'I'm okay. I'm okay. Tee hee, I'm leaving.'

'Don't tear up your passport. Give me that. No, don't put it in the water!'

It took another half hour to get Mental out of the house. I kept his passport, holding it for when he was less destructive. Apparently, when Mental consumed large amounts of coke, he ran amuck like that—rushed about out of control—a Coke Amuck. Many hotels in Bombay no longer let him in because he'd destroyed their bathrooms. He frequently obsessed on water. He'd tear plumbing from the walls. Once, the manager of the Nataraj Hotel used a pass key to get into Mental's room after the people underneath complained of flooding. The manager entered to find the sink and toilet smashed and a cowering Mental slamming around the bathtub yelling, 'Roaches! Roaches! They're everywhere!'

It was more funny, though, when Mental had his Coke in someone ELSE's house.

People realized that when Neal and Eve came to visit, something would be missing when they left. Eve was a kleptomaniac.

Late one morning at a beach party, after Neal had Bone home, a commotion erupted behind the stage. Investigating the ruckus, I saw someone drag Eve along the ground while a crowd cheered him on. Her skirt bunched around her waist, revealing a bare bottom scratching across the dirt.

'She deserves it,' I overheard someone say.

Because of my closeness with Neal, I felt responsible for Eve. I picked up the bag she'd dropped and ran after her as she screamed. I reached her as she broke free and turned on her assailant with curses and sharp nails.

'Come on, Eve, let's go,' I said, trying to lead her away, but she was freaked out and screaming. 'Come on, Eve. Let's go do some smack.' I thought the smack might calm her down.

I pulled her away backwards as she yelled, 'Fucking bastards.' She kicked at a spectator and shrieked, 'AAAhh.'

'Come to my house,' I said.

'No,' she whispered.

Though she wouldn't leave the party, she let me usher her through the dancers to sit at someone's candle and sniff some dope. I really needed a snoot. Both of us had swallowed a dose of acid, and everything was spacey. Apprehension and eagerness engulfed me. Eve was restless. She didn't want to come to my house. She didn't want to remain seated. She didn't want to stay with me, either. She stood up and moved off. She appeared headed for more trouble.

I decided I had to get Neal. Shit! He lived on the other side of the beach, across the paddy field, near the road. It wasn't impossibly far, but with me tripping-and spacey tripping at that—it was seriously far.

I ran all the way and thought I'd the of exertion in the paddy.

'NEAL! WE HAVE TO SAVE EVE. SHE’S GETTING INTO FIGHTS. WAKE UP.'

He opened one eye as I came tearing into the house. 'Shhh. You'll wake the baby.' He didn't move.

I lowered my voice. 'Neal, Eve's freaking out the beach.'

Slowly, he raised his naked form and sat cross-legged on the mattress. He peered at the baby lying nearby. 'Party still going?' He smiled at me and shook the bangs out of his eyes. 'Sit down a minute?'

I sat. 'Of dope, yes. I'm too wired for more coke.'

'Well, I need a little to wake me up.' He reached for his glass Hock, and I watched him chop and meticulously construct two perfect lines. CLICK, CLICK, SCRAPE, SQUEAK, SQUEAK.

'What patience you have,' I commented. 'I don't make lines anymore. I snort lumps. I just pile it out and snort it up.' He giggled. I changed my mind. 'Yeah, okay, I will have that line after all,' I said. 'I can never resist.' CLICK, CLICK, SCRAPE, SQUEAK, SQUEAK. 'Oh, but come on, hurry. We've got to save Eve.'

We left the baby in the Charge of an Indian teenager from Bombay who'd hung around with the Freaks at Dipti's, and whom Neal had brought to Goa for no reason in particular.

It was late morning and the sun was high when we arrived at the party. We found Eve sitting by herself, Flashing hateful glances around her.

'The chick stole my lighter, man,' said Olivier to Neal in a French accent. 'Is not right. There is something wrong with that chick.'

'Well straighten this out,' Neal answered before kneeling beside Eve. 'Are you okay? Had a bad night?' He moved a strand of hair off her face. 'Let's get out of here.' She rose and followed him easily. So did Olivier.

'What about my lighter, man? It is from Kenya. Has a gazelle on it.'

'I want to get her off the beach,' Neal told him. 'We'll go to the Monkey chai shop.'

The four of us climbed the rocks and gathered around the wooden tables of the  chai shop. Nobody sat. I was too wired; Eve was on planet Mars; Neal was refereeing; and the Frenchman was angry.

'Five him back the lighter, Eve.'

'I don't have it.'

'Eve, just give it to him and we can go home.'

'He's lying. I didn't take it.'

In the acid-party aftermath, everything looked weird. Textures went wrong. The wood of the table I leaned against felt like fabric. It folded over my fingers. Eve's face took on strange colours, her features blending together. I watched her nose squash under her cheekbones. Neal lifted Eve's purse off her shoulder and dumped the contents on the table.

'There it is! That is it. See the gazelle?'

Neal handed the lighter to Olivier and put everything else back in the bag. 'Let's go now.'

As we hurried out of the  chai shop, the Frenchman called after us, 'Do something about that chick, man. She's not right.'

We went to my house, which was closest. We had a few hits of smack, and then Neal washed Eve's face and positioned her under the platform, where she fell instantly asleep.

Neal and I sat side by side, and he talked away the sharp edges of my trip. CLICK, CLICK, SCRAPE, SQUEAK, SQUEAK. 'I grew up in Washington—the state,' he told me. 'Bet you never knew anyone from there, did you? Went to the University of Washington and received a Master's Degree in English Literature. Then I got married and moved to France. My wife and I taught at the American University in Paris.'

'A professor!'

He giggled. 'Yeah, a professor.'

'Are you still married?'

He giggled some more. 'I guess so. We never divorced.' More giggles. 'Then last year I married a Thai whore in Bangkok.'

'Oh, no! Two wives!' I laughed.

'The Thai's tough. Boy, you wouldn't want to fight with her. Carries a long knife.'

'Why'd you marry her?'

'I don't know. She wanted to. Why not?'