Carter was taken aback. It was not as if he had never heard the word, or even that he found it particularly offensive. Indeed, it was one that he himself found useful quite often. All the same, it sounded too hard and coarse and crude to have come from her lips. Elena was perfect in his eyes, and he was disturbed by anything that marred his vision of her. That was why he was all the more dismayed when she said it again as she turned the ringer off, sending the call to her voice mail, and snapped the phone shut.

“Ooh, what a day I have had, Carter,” she lamented with a pout.

Then her darkened countenance suddenly brightened again. The gloomy clouds disappeared as quickly as they had come, and the sun came out again. She smiled and, leaning closer, took his hand. “That’s why I am so glad you are here,” she said.

Once again, Carter was bewitched, and his misgivings about her vulgar speech of just a moment earlier evaporated—along with his train of thought.

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” he told her. Gazing into her eyes, he had the sensation of falling and losing himself inside them forever. He wanted that moment to never end, but just then the waiter returned with their antipasti, and the spell was broken.

As the meal progressed, Carter tried his best to keep the conversation light, asking her about college and doing all he could to recapture the magic he had felt just a few moments ago. Then Elena’s phone had rung again, evoking from her the same brooding look as had the first call. Again she had turned off the ringer, but to his displeasure she left the phone on when she tucked it away in her purse. He was about to suggest that perhaps she might simply turn it off completely when Elena suddenly stood and excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She was gone quite some time, and Carter ate much of the remainder of his meal alone before she returned.

After dinner, Carter paid the bill, and the two walked out to the car. It had been, he reflected, a very puzzling first date to that point. Elena had alternated between brief outbursts of fawning attention and longer bouts of brooding distraction. She was giving him the latter just then, when she perked up once again and suggested they go out dancing.

“We go to fun place in Roccasale,” she said brightly. “Everybody will be there.”

“Sure,” said Carter with a shrug. “Sounds good to me.”

Hoping against reason that she would allow him, Carter offered to drive this time. Of course Elena said no, and soon they were roaring back to Roccasale.