“Let me take you out to dinner,” Virginia says, and gratefully Jim agrees. Angela sees them off with determined cheerfulness. They take Jim’s car and track down to the Hungry Crab in Newport Beach.

Since they haven’t talked in a while, there is a fair amount to say; and as they work their way through two bottles of wine and a crab feast, they get more and more festive. Jim can even describe the various comedies of the European jaunt; their fighting is past, they’re beyond that, into a more mature stage of their relationship. Jim watches Virginia laugh, and the sight of her is more intoxicating than the wine: perfect glossy hair like a cap of jewels, deep beach tan, snub nose, freckles, wide white smile, a perfect match for the decor, perfect, perfect, perfect.

So he is quite drunk, both with wine and with his proximity to this beautiful animal, when they pay the bill and leave. Out into the salt cool of a Newport Beach evening, lurching together, holding hands, laughing at a pair of goggle-eyed sunburnt tourists—thoroughly enjoying themselves as they approach a group of students walking their way.

Then Jim sees Hana Steentoft in the group, head down in characteristic pose. As the group passes them she looks up at him, looks down again. The group walks by and into the Crab.

Jim has stopped, and at some point jerked his hand free of Virginia’s. Now as he looks back at the restaurant the old sardonic smile is on her face. She says, “Ashamed to be seen with me, eh?”

“No, no.”

“Sure.”

Jim doesn’t know what to say, he can’t concentrate on Virginia right now, he doesn’t care what Virginia thinks or feels. All he wants to do is rush into the Crab and try to explain things to Hana. It’s like a nightmare: somehow trapped in an old disaster alliance, which poisons the new relationship—he’s had nightmares just like this! How could it be happening?

But it is happening, and here he is, standing on the sidewalk with a furious Virginia Novello. Abandoning her in Newport Beach and running in to throw himself at Hana’s feet in a group of friends is just too melodramatic for Jim, too extreme, he can’t see himself doing it.

So he stays to face Virginia’s wrath.

“You really are rude, you know that, Jim?”

“Come on, Virginia. Give me a break.”