Marlene came to the apartment every evening after her job at Hecks department store. When he worked the second shift, she would wait for him to get home around midnight, and she would stay most of the night. Before morning, she would always go back to her parents’ home.

Marlene was finding Billy moodier and more unpredictable than ever before. At times he would storm around the apartment, smashing things. He would stare at the walls in a trance, or he would go to the easel and paint in a fury. Always, he was a soft-spoken, considerate lover.

Tommy didn’t tell her that he was getting shaky. He was missing work. And he was missing time. Things seemed to be happening closer and closer together; they were moving into another bad mix-up time. Arthur should have been in control, but for some reason he was losing domination. No one was minding the store.

Arthur blamed the confusion on Marlene and insisted that the relationship be broken off. Tommy felt his heart jump. He wanted to protest, but he was too afraid of Arthur to tell him that he had fallen in love with Marlene. He knew he had shaved the rules close enough several times to be in danger of being classified as undesirable. Then he heard Adalanas voice.

“That’s not fair,” she said.

“I am always fair,” Arthur said.

“It’s not right for you to make rules and break all bonds and ties of love and affection between us and the people outside.”

She’s right, Tommy thought, but he kept silent.

“Marlene is suppressing the talents and skills of all of us,” Arthur said. “She makes accusations, takes up time with foolish quarrels and interferes with the expansion of our minds.”

“I don’t think it’s right to send her away,” she insisted. “She’s a caring person.”

“For God’s sake!” Arthur said. “Tommy and Allen still work in a bloody factory. I had expected them to be there a few months at the most, using that as a base from which to find a decent strategic or technical job that would utilize and expand their skills. No one is expanding their minds anymore.”

“What’s more important—expanding your mind or showing your feelings? Maybe that’s the wrong question, because you don’t have feelings. Oh, maybe it’s possible to become a very productive and outstanding person by suppressing your emotions and living only with logic, but you’ll be so lonely you’re not going to be worth anything to anybody.”

“Marlene goes,” Arthur said, deciding he had demeaned himself long enough in arguing with Adalana. “I don’t care who handles it, but this relationship must be terminated.”

Marlene later described the events of that evening before their first breakup. They’d been arguing. He was acting weird and she thought he was on drugs. He was lying on the floor, really mad at her about something—she had no idea what it was. He had his gun in his hand, turning it on his finger, pointing it at his head.