The restaurant was by the river. It was warm and breezy. She drew on her cigarette, telling herself for the umpteenth time that she should give them u...p, and drank from her glass of pinot noir she’d taken with her from the table. Suddenly she was not alone. He was there beside her, also drinking pinot noir she noticed, and shaking a cigarette from a pack he’d drawn from his suit pocket. “It’s a nuisance this, isn’t it,” he said. “Having to drag yourself outside to perform what used to be a. ”“It’s staring at me.”“No he’s not.”“I’d feel a lot safer sitting right beside you.”“Grrr!”“Digit!”“Okay! I’m moving back to the other end of the couch!”Rover, seated on the floor at Otterly’s foot, looked up at the boy and then laid his head back against Otterly’s leg. She casually reached down and scratched Rover behind the ear.Sherry entered the living room and then said, “There you are! Don’t you look comfortable sitting on opposite ends of the couch?”“Hello, Mom.”“Hello, Mrs. Cage.”“Come. ” I said still holding out the gift card.“She hates me that much?”“Oh yeah. You felt a little of her hate when she hit you. If you want to feel even more stick around for about fifteen minutes and she’ll be home.”Jane took the Wal-Mart gift card and walked slowly out of the house.“John. Please give me another chance. This was the only time I cheated on you.”“You mean that you never fucked him before?”“No. But it was only with him. I fucked him a couple of times a week for the past seven months.. I could feel my heart beating inside my chest, it was beating so loud that I thought that others could probably hear it as well.When the door finally opened, I was relieved. They exchanged some pleasantries and then, two other women joined them outside and closed the doors behind them. It seemed they weren't going to stay at home, but that they would go out. The relief I had felt just now, was gone.And when they walked back into my direction, I got scared again. I wasn't sure where they were.