No sooner than the cab had rounded one corner, Alisha rounded the other one. Rita stood there with P.J. holding her pant leg and Pooh looking up at her. Ms. Lulu, Bernadine, and Ms. Yvonne looked at Rita sympathetically and shook their heads.

As was their ritual, Marlene and her coworker Audrey met in front of their office building for lunch. They wove past the hot dog and gyro vendors, making their way to a little strip mall a few blocks away. Their choices for food were limited to a Chinese restaurant and a deli. They had about exhausted themselves with the $4.50 lunch specials and decided to go with sandwiches.

Between telling the young man making her sandwich that he wasn’t putting enough mayonnaise on it, Audrey went on about the latest office gossip. Marlene only half listened as she stared vacantly at the wall menu.

“So you think the girl who does the liens is fucking Freddy?” Audrey asked, taking her cup to the fountain and selecting her grade of soft drink. “They try to cover it, but I think something is going on. What do you think, Mar?”

“Uh-huh,” Marlene said distractedly.

Audrey touched her arm. “Girl, what planet are you on today?”

“Sorry,” Marlene came around. “I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”

“I can tell. You’ve been like a space cadet all day at work.”

“Audrey, I feel like I’m constantly in the trenches,” Marlene said, pausing to order a ham and Swiss. “If these clients don’t drain me,” she continued, “Paul and his baggage will.”

“Told you about fucking with them young boys. You lay a taste of some seasoned pussy on ’em and they lose their cool.”

“It ain’t even that, Audrey. It’s his reluctance to take control of his life and the things in it.”

Audrey raised an eyebrow. “You mean people, don’t you?”

“Let’s not even go there.” Marlene rolled her eyes.

“Homegirl still crashing the party?”

“Nah, she’s gotten better, but I still can’t stand the bitch. Rhonda acts like she can’t go a day without imposing her presence on Paul and his relationship with me. I can almost feel when she’s gonna call or pop up somewhere.”

“Pop up? You holding out on Rhonda stories, Mar?” Audrey asked.

“What, you mean I didn’t tell you? Paul and I were having ourselves a nice dinner at this soul food spot in Harlem about three weeks ago. He had been telling me about this joint for a minute, so I was like, ‘cool.’ Audrey, by the time I was halfway through the appetizer, guess whose loud ass walks in?”

“Marlene, you need to stop lying on that girl,” Audrey insisted.