On the last level, he surmised that the jokes were in-house references to major notorities of the time. Some of the jokes were heavily veiled references to Hollywood’s stars of the time and their minor peccadilloes. He couldn’t be positive that his suspicions were correct, because he wasn’t an expert in the media celebrities of the nineteen-forties. He was fairly sure he caught a joke about one of the more eccentric directors of the period. While Howard didn’t understand all of the innuendo, he was able to connect with enough to find the historical satire entertaining. He dragged himself unwillingly from the plush chair and followed Anita as she left the store. Once they were out on the concourse, she quickly found a concrete bench for them to sit on and talk for a few minutes.
When they sat down, Anita said frankly, “You left your money and wallet at home, didn’t you?”