"Go do your wash," she dismissed her sister-in-law with contempt.

"Whadya mean you knew?" Phyllis pulled out a cigarette, forgetting the unlit one between her lips. Marie took the cigarette from her hand and lit it, dropping the lighter in front of Phyllis. Her forehead wrinkled as she exhaled.

"For years an' years an' years..." Her voice trailed off. "I dunno what I'm makin' such a goddamn federal production for, I really don't. We shoulda been divorced after a year, before I even got pregnant with Stony. It was good when we dated, it was good for a couple a months after that, then... I dunno. The cheating isn't even it. It's somethin' that happens before that." She stared at her cold coffee. "There's this one moment, this one moment when you realize that after all those I love you's you say to each other for hours, days, months, years even, after all those I love you's you realize that somebody's lyin'. It's like at some point your heart goes on automatic pilot, an' no matter how you hold onto each other, an' no matter how it feels in bed, you know the whole damn thing's a crock An' you feel lonely, you feel hurt, you feel angry, but I'll tell you the truth, what you really feel is empty, like a big wind tunnel. And, honey, that's the most godawful feeling of all. Because then, you just died."

Phyllis wanted to shake her head violently, scream at Marie to shut up, but she felt that if she moved, if she so much as lifted a finger, something inside would shatter.

"After that you just get wrapped up in the bullshit. It feels like all that matters anymore is who's right, who gets the credit, who wins today. I mean when you're forty-five, who... the... hell cares? Who the hell is keepin' score? Even a lousy nigger pushin' a broom for twenny-five years gets a goddamn gold watch. Whadda you get?"

She stabbed out her cigarette.

"They all cheat, they're all the same. They're like a goddamn army marchin' off to... I dunno. Maybe I should take one a those motel management courses, I'd make a mint."

"Not Chubby." Phyllis stared at Marie, shaking her head slowly, afraid to take her eyes from Marie's face. "Not Chubby."

Marie said nothing, a bitter half smile forming.

Phyllis felt like she had never really seen Marie before. Fat, ugly, horrible bitch. "No day, no way, not Chubby."