Litvinoff could still remember the original catalogue of bared thighs, inner elbows, and backs of necks that had been the inspiration for countless frenetic variations. That Alma had been taken by someone else in an on-and-off-and-on-again sort of way didn’t distract from her participation in Litvinoff’s reveries (which relied heavily on the technique of montage). If he ever envied her being taken, it wasn’t out of any special feeling for Alma, but out of a wish to be likewise singled out and loved alone.
