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for five minutes in April. Before that, there was a gap of four years. Don’t get me wrong. I’d be happy to see you, but it does seem odd.”
    â€œMmm.”
    I said, “What,” not even bothering to make a question of the word.
    â€œOkay, I’ll level with you, but you have to promise you won’t scream.”
    â€œI’m listening, but this is making my stomach hurt.”
    â€œNeil’s younger brother, Owen, is in town for the weekend. We thought you should meet him.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œKinsey, occasionally men and women are introduced to each other, or haven’t you heard?”
    â€œLike a blind date? ”
    â€œIt’s not a blind date. It’s drinks and a few snacks. There’ll be tons of other people so it’s not like you’ll be stuck with him one-on-one. We’ll sit on the back deck. Cheez Whiz and crackers. If you like him, that’s swell. If you don’t, no big deal.”
    â€œThe last time you fixed me up, it was with Neil,” I said.
    â€œMy point exactly. Look how that turned out.”
    I was silent for a moment. “What’s he like?”
    â€œWell, aside from the fact that he walks with his knuckles barely grazing the floor, he seems to do okay. Look, I’ll have him fill out an application. You can do a background check. Just be here at three-thirty. I’m wearing my only pair of jeans that haven’t been split up the back.”
    She hung up while I was saying, “But…”
    I listened to the dial tone in a state of despair. I could see now I was being penalized for shirking my job. I should have gone in to work. The Universe keeps track of our sins and exacts devious and repugnant punishments, like dates with unknown men. I went up the spiral staircase and opened my closet so I could stare at my clothes. Here’s what I saw: My black all-purpose dress—which is the only dress I own, good for funerals and other somber occasions, not suitable for meeting guys, unless they’re already dead. Three pairs of jeans, a denim vest, one short skirt, and the new tweed blazer I bought when I had lunch with my cousin, Tasha, eighteen months before. Also, an olive-green cocktail dress I’d forgotten about, given to me by a woman who was later blown to bits. In addition, there were castoffs from Vera, including a pair of black silk pants so long I had to roll ’em up at the waist. If I wore those, she’d ask to have them back, thus forcing me to drive home essentially naked below the waist. Not that I thought harem pants would be suitable for a barbecue. I knew better than that. Shrugging, I opted for my usual jeans and turtleneck.
    At 3:30 promptly I was ringing Vera’s doorbell. The address she’d given me was on the upper east side of town, in a neighborhood of older homes. Theirs was a ramshackle Victorian painted dark gray with white trim and an L-shaped wooden porch complete with froufrou along the rail. The front door had a stained-glass rose in the center that made Vera’s face look bright pink when she peered out at me. Behind her, the dog barked with excitement, eager to jump up and slobber on someone new. She opened the door, holding the dog by its collar to prevent its escape.
    She said, “Don’t look so glum. You’ve been given a reprieve. I sent the guys out to buy Pampers and beer, so it’s just us for twenty minutes. Come on in.” Her hair was cropped short and streaked with blond. She still sported her glasses with wire frames and enormous pale blue lenses. Vera’s the type of woman who attracts admiring glances wherever she goes. Her figure was substantial, though she’d already dropped much of the weight she gained with Meg. She was barefoot, wearing tight jeans and an oversize tunic with short sleeves and a complicated cut to the top. All the toddler and baby toting had firmed her biceps.
    She held the door for me,