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that’s her husband there. You think he’s a doctor?”
    â€œToo young.”
    â€œYou’re probably right.” When I turned to look at them again, Ella and her husband had risen from their stools and were making their way toward us. The anger seemed to have disappeared from her face. “Jack, Dr. Spark. Dr. Spark, Jack,” she said, smiling.
    â€œHi, Jack,” I said. “I’m Rachel. And this is Rex. He’s visiting from London.”
    â€œOutside London. I live on a farm in Hampshire,” Rex corrected me, leaning over to shake hands with Jack.
    â€œI was just telling Rex here about your poems, Ella. That last one floored me.” I turned to Rex. “The one about bats.”
    Rex grimaced so that only I could see.
    Ella’s husband looked at her. “You don’t show me those poems,” he said.
    Ella shrugged. “They’re not finished yet,” she told him.
    â€œThey’re my bats,” Jack said. “I study them, I mean.”
    â€œAwful,” Rex said.
    â€œWhat was that?” Jack leaned closer to Rex.
    â€œAwesome. I said that’s awesome.” Rex winked at me. There was a long pause.
    â€œWhy don’t you join us?” I finally said.
    Ella’s husband shook his head. “I’ve got to be at the lab early tomorrow. And then after work we’ve got Christmas shopping to do, right, Ella?”
    Ella nodded.
    â€œYour bats are waiting,” Rex said.
    â€œThat’s right, waiting. You could say that.” Jack was smiling, sly, like he had a secret.
    â€œJack works with dead bats,” Ella offered.
    â€œAlive or dead, bats freak me out,” Rex confessed.
    â€œThey’ve got a bad rap,” Jack said. “They’re actually quite docile—nothing to be afraid of. They’re more afraid of you than you should be of them.”
    â€œRabies is pretty fuckin’ scary,” Rex said. “Where I’m from, there’s lots of …”
    The cider was hitting me hard, and though I didn’t want to be impolite, I really had to pee, so I stood up. “You guys talk,” I said. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Rex squeezed my hand, mouthed okay, and I told Ella and her husband that it was good to see them and excused myself. I made my way across one room and into the other. I stepped around a dancing circle of young women and the gawking men surrounding them. I spotted Adam, a former boyfriend, standing at the pool table, chalking his stick, so I picked up my pace. I had safely reached the bathroom door when I was surprised to hear Ella’s voice in my ear. She was shouting above the music, something bluesy I didn’t know the name of. “I like your class,” she said.
    â€œYou scared me,” I said. “I didn’t know you were behind me.” My bladder was pounding as I held the doorknob.
    â€œI’m not following you,” she said, and then laughed. “Well, I guess I am. I mean, I guess I did. I wanted to tell you that your class is everything to me.”
    â€œGood. I’m happy you’re in there.” I glanced over at Adam, who was leaning down now, moving the stick back and forth between his fingers. I heard him break, the triangle of balls rolling apart. “Look, Ella, why don’t you two stay and have a drink with us—I’ve really got to pee, though. Wait right here.”
    She shook her head. “We’re in a fight.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    â€œHe’s sorry,” she said.
    â€œOh,” I said, feeling bad for Ella, but also wanting to avoid Adam’s seeing me there, and more, feeling as if I was about to burst. I didn’t know what to say next, but it didn’t matter because her eyes had welled up and she cut me off.
    â€œI’ve got to go. We’ve got to go,” she said, her eyes spilling over.
    â€œWait,” I said, reaching out to grab her hand,