Indeterminacy 145

Sonya Sekula said, “Why don’t you come with me to the Reises’?
They’re giving a party.” I said I wasn’t invited. Sonya said,
“Come anyway; they won’t mind.” As we walked in, Mrs. Reis was
extremely friendly in her greeting, and even asked what I’d like
to drink. I said, “Rum.” She said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I don’t
have any at the bar, but I’ll go down to the basement and get
some.” I asked her not to bother, but she insisted. While she
was gone, I made my way over to the bar and discovered Bushmills
Irish whisky, of which I am very fond. I asked for some and began
drinking it. When Mrs. Reis came back with the rum, naturally
I drank some of that. As the time passed, I drank rum when Mrs.
Reis was looking and Irish whisky when she wasn’t. After a while
Sonya Sekula said, “Let’s go. You take one of the bottles of
Irish and I’ll get my coat and meet you downstairs.” I said, “You
take the bottle; I’ll get your coat.” She said, “O.K.” I went
downstairs, picked up a fur coat; Sonya came running down with
the Irish; we went out into the snow. I said, “Do you want your
coat on?” She said, “No. The car’s right here. Just throw it in
the back seat.” A few blocks along, Sonya said, “That’s not my
coat.” I said, “How do you know?” She said, “The perfume.” We
drove on to Grand Street, went upstairs, and killed the Irish.
We talked all the time about selling the coat in some distant
city. Sonya said she knew a fence in St. Louis. About midnight
I called the Reises and spoke to Mr. Reis. I said, “I have the
coat.” He said, “Thank God!” We made arrangements for my
bringing it to his office in the morning. When I got there I
explained it had all been a mistake. Before we said good-by, he
whispered, “No one will ever hear a word about this.” I went to
the elevator. He came running down the hall and said, “What about
Mrs. Reis’s coat?” I said, “I don’t know anything about her coat;
I didn’t take it.”

- John Cage