Maryellen turned away, as she used to do when she wanted to lie. The anger had come and gone again, this time like lightning on the horizon. “For God’s sake, Frank, Ann Elizabeth is a lesbian! Don’t tell me you didn’t get it!”

“I didn’t think about it. It’s not my business.”

“Ho! Ho! I remember you when! Come on, sit down. Let’s have a nice time.” The bear under her arm, she opened the book. “This is my journal. I want to read something from it to you. Don’t make me say bad things—promise?”

“Yes.”

She took his hand. “Will you kiss me? Will you kiss me nice?”

“When we say good-bye.”

“She told you I was crazy, I know she did. If she hadn’t done that, all this would have been different.”

He sat down. “Let it go. Read.”

No, she wanted to hold his hand and look into his eyes, and, he knew, if he moved closer to her, she would start fondling him under the table. He remembered every bit of this, back when she was supposedly sane, when it never occurred to him that she was crazy. Just rich. Spoiled. “Remember the time you met me at the airport and I got off the plane all flushed and sweaty?” No, he didn’t, but he gave her no sign. He listened. She patted his hand. “You don’t remember, but I do. You didn’t say anything, but your eyes were all over me. You wanted to know what happened. Oh, look at you! I have you. You love me. I can see it.”

“Tell me what happened.” He didn’t remember when she had traveled alone by airplane. Maybe she wasn’t talking about him, but somebody else.

“On the plane I got so excited about you, I had to go to the bathroom and play with myself.” She seemed pleased with his reaction—he was stunned. “You always believed what I said about not being able to play with myself. What a fool you were!” She stopped, her eyes welling up. “You’re making me say bad things again. That wasn’t even true.”

“I’m not doing a thing, Maryellen.”

She put the book in her lap. “I want to get out of here,” she cried. “I hate New York!”

“That’s up to you.” She was completely out of control now, tears pouring down her cheeks. He bolted up. “Let me get a breath of air,” he said. When she tried to hold his arm, he pulled free. “Just a cigarette. I haven’t had one since I got here.” The truth was that he had forgotten all about cigarettes, hadn’t had one since before daybreak.

She ran after him. “Oh, Frank—”

When he opened the door, Ann Elizabeth and two of her colleagues were standing on the other side. Maryellen saw them. She stepped back, sobbing and snuffling.