And then it happened, one night later in December . . . a tavern outside Edgarsville, a carload of men, Sheila and Monica were hurrying across the parking lot to Sheila’s car when one of the men called out to them, his name was Fitch, Fitch’d taken a liking to Sherrill Ann a few weekends ago, but there was some beef between them, the reasons weren’t clear, maybe he was mistaking her for another woman but he didn’t think so, Fitch was anxious for them both to get in his car, Fitch was saying that Sherrill Ann had promised to meet his kids, hadn’t she said she wanted to meet them, he’d shown her some snapshots and she’d said she wanted to meet them, now she pretended she didn’t know who the hell he was, what the hell did she and her girl friend think they were pulling . . . ? Fitch’s friends followed after him, they were all a little drunk, good-natured drunk, maybe not so good-natured if Sherrill Ann wouldn’t cooperate, if Mary Beth kept dodging away like they were lepers or something, like they were shit, Fitch was saying that Sherrill Ann and him, they had an understanding, and now she pretended she didn’t know him, “We got some talking to do,” Fitch said, “honey you promised, you know you did,” and Sherrill Ann told him to please leave them alone, they were on their way home, they were late getting home, their babysitter would call the police if they didn’t get home in the next fifteen minutes, and Fitch just said, “You two come along now, hon, we got some talking to do,” and Sherrill Ann told Mary Beth to get in the car and lock the door, which she did, and Fitch tried to stop Sherrill Ann from getting in the car, “I don’t like no bitch lying to me, I don’t stand for no bitch lying to me,” Fitch said, and Sherrill Ann said he was drunk, and they weren’t getting in his car, and they were going home, and that was that. “Our babysitter will call the police,” Sherrill Ann said, her voice raised, angry, perhaps just perceptibly trembling, “—she knows when we’re expected home and she knows we’ve been here.”

So the men let them go.