All these years, and here he finally was. Ann was shocked by his appearance, overwhelmed by his decline. She couldn’t look into his eyes, so she fixed her gaze on his bare feet. They were fat, with pads of hair on his toes and thick horns of nails that needed to be cut. It was hard to believe she’d once fantasized about him, swum naked with him. His genetic material had become braided with her own. She’d hated him for all these years, but now that he was standing in front of her, the hate felt different, like it had congealed into something more like pity. He was weak, damaged, pathetic, and she was glad.

“Well,” Anthony said. “Well, well. This is a trip down memory lane.”

“It’s his medication,” Maureen said. “His therapist is trying—”

“Please stop talking about me like I’m not here, Mo. I’m here. I’m so goddamn here I can’t stand it.”

Maureen frowned. “Of course you are.”

He looked at Ann. “She says I’m going through a ‘bad patch.’” He used his fingers for air quotes.

Ann let her gaze rest on the coffee stain above his belly. “I see that.”

“She also says she wants to divorce me, did she tell you that?”

Maureen, embarrassed, reached for Anthony’s arm and tried to steer him out of the kitchen. “This is of no concern to Ann. Let’s not—”

“Ever since she started acting she’s turned into just another artsy kook.”

“Stop it, Tony,” Maureen said. Her voice was strained, pleading. “Please.”

Anthony’s chest hair stuck out from the V in his shirt. “You still look good, Ann Gordon.” He stared at her breasts. “You always looked good. Healthy. Wholesome. You could have walked off the set of Little House on the Prairie.”

“Tony!”

“Tony!” He screeched, imitating Maureen. “Just think of it, Ann. Mo wants out. She’s cut me off. Now you can have me all to yourself. Remember when you strutted around our bedroom naked? God, you gave me a hard-on like a torpedo!”

Maureen looked at Ann in disbelief. “What is this about?” Ann didn’t reply. After a brief silence, Maureen added, “Ann, why are you here?”

“Yeah, Ann. Tell my wife what this is about. Go ahead. Nothing matters now. She knows I’m no saint, but I’ll tell you something: you were no saint either. You wrapped yourself around me like a snake.”

Anthony walked to the sink and filled a glass with water as if this were the most normal gesture in the world. He took a drink and made a loud gulping sound.

“Ann?” Maureen sounded painfully hopeful for a different story. Ann wished she could tell her this was a lie, a mistake.