“Why?” she said. “Why would you think I would want to know that? What is it about me that looks like I would want to know there are other smart pretty girls? Because I’ll fix it. I’ll change it. Is it something I’m wearing? Is my lip curled in a certain way that says, ‘Got to tell her there’s another bright woman around’? Why would you think I would want to know that a beautiful, gorgeous, supermarket-famous face from television is as bright and funny as I am?”

“I didn’t say she was as bright and funny,” he said. “She’s not as bright. She’s not bright like you. She’s bright in a totally different way.”

“How can she be bright in a different way?” she said. “What is her area of expertise? Is she bright about cooking? Literature? She knows languages?”

“Oh, Jesus,” he said. “I really—”

“It’s just so interesting to me,” she said, “that you thought I would want to hear that this beautiful girl is also brilliantly smart and you love her.”

“I don’t love her,” he said. “I don’t know why we’re having this conversation.”

“I’m jealous, okay?” she said. “I admit I am jealous. Look, we don’t have a commitment, but we certainly have an area of commitment, which is that we talk to each other. I mean, we don’t understand each other, but we don’t pretend to understand each other like other people do, and I feel betrayed here. I suppose you talk to her like you talk to me?”

“No, I don’t talk to her,” he said. “In fact—”

“Well, what is she?” she said. “A great fuck?”

“No,” he said. “In fact, we haven’t even fucked yet.”

“Oh, great,” she said. “Great. You respect this one too much to fuck her. You didn’t do that little distance thing in the morning? Or she’s too bright to fall for it?”

“Look, I—” he said.

“You like to have smart girls get stupid over you, don’t you?” she said. “Well, watch out. If they get too stupid, you might as well go back to just boffing bimbos.”

“Look,” he said, “I don’t think we should continue this discussion. I don’t like this side of you.”

“I’m not a box,” she said. “I don’t have sides. This is it. One side fits all. This is it.”

“How did we get on to this?” he said. “Do we need to have this fight? We have an understanding that we don’t have an understanding, and we enjoy it very much. Now I think we should just order some food and have a pleasant evening, if that’s possible.”

“All right, yeah,” she said. “I let myself in for it. I should never have asked you.”

“What do you want to eat?” he said.