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much closer to campus, it seemed like too much trouble to move—especially since, in a few more months, she’d be able to afford a much nicer place. The real reason Jackie had stayed here, though, was Laura. It seemed to Jackie that if she moved at all, she should be getting a place with her girlfriend—they’d been together now for almost three years. But something in the strange, shifting nature of their relationship did not make this an automatic choice. For the last year or so they’d been poised at the edge of something—Jackie didn’t know exactly what. And any big actions or decisions needed to wait until they fell, decisively, one way or the other.
    When she got inside, the first thing she saw was the red light of the answering machine, flashing three times, stopping, flashing again, as if sending out a distress signal. She flopped down on the recliner and looked at her watch. It was just before six. With a feeling that was equal parts anticipation and dread, she pressed the “play messages” button.
    The first message was from Laura, at 1:30, checking in. The next was from Rebecca, a friend from law school. She was in Sacramento, interviewing for a public interest job, and she wanted copies of the notes that Jackie would be taking in their Tax Law class on Monday. The third, again, was Laura, this time sounding tired and just short of impatient. “Jackie, it’s me again. It’s 5:45. I was thinking you’d be back by now, but…I don’t know. Anyway, give me a call when you get in.”
    Jackie picked up the phone, and as the answering machine rewound she dialed her girlfriend’s number. She half-hoped that Laura would be out somewhere; she needed some time to recover. your last call.” But Laura picked up on the first ring.
    “Hi, I’m home,” Jackie informed her. “I must have just missed
    “Hi. Where have you been? How’s Lois doing?”
    “Oh, fine. I ended up staying with them all day.”
    “What did she want you to do?”
    “Just some little stuff. I’ll tell you about it later.” She wondered how much she’d really tell her, knowing there’d be gaps in the narrative. “What have you been up to?” she asked.
    Laura didn’t answer at first, and Jackie could feel her considering whether or not to press further. “Oh, I just lazed around,” she said finally. “Had coffee with people. Went for a run with Marie.” She paused now, and Jackie could tell from the texture of the pause—she’d thrown a net around her emotions, but there were holes in the fabric and little bursts of feeling kept wriggling through—that her girlfriend was annoyed. Then Laura added, “Marie and Steven are having a cocktail party tonight. And I know you had a long day, but I was thinking that maybe we could go.”
    That was it. Marie was one of Laura’s friends from work, another young politico, like Laura, who’d been hired out of elite private universities to work in city government. There were about twenty recent graduates who had jobs in City Hall, and they often met for meals or coffee and threw parties for themselves. They believed wholeheartedly that they were the future of the city, and Jackie, privately, hated their self-importance, but also, more privately, envied it. Now, Jackie knew why Laura had been so anxious—she didn’t expect Jackie to want to go out with her, and she was right.
    “Laura, I’m exhausted,” Jackie said. “It’s been a really long day and I don’t feel up to being social. But why don’t you go by yourself? I’ll probably just do some reading and hit the sack.” There was silence on the other end. “Laura?”
    “You never want to spend time with my friends,” Laura said.
    Jackie sighed and squeezed her temples. “Of course I do. We just went to your friend’s dinner party on Wednesday, didn’t we? I’m just really tired now. I mean, I’ve had a lot going on the last couple of weeks. Besides, it’s already six o’clock. Why didn’t you tell me about this