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People were looking as they walked because they still were an odd couple: Older man. Younger woman. White man. Black woman. The contrasts were obvious. But William kept his arm around her waist. He was proud of her, but protective of her too. She felt fearless whenever she was with William.

“Hello Mother,” he said when they arrived at his mother’s table.

Because of the angle with which they approached the table, neither lady sitting there saw them coming. And when he spoke those words, his mother looked up at him as if she was guilty as sin. As if she’d been caught red-handed. And Cassidy, when she saw the couple standing there, her face went ashen as if she’d been caught too.

“What are you doing here?” His mother, Fiona Skeffington, asked him.

“I live here. What are you doing here is the more pertinent question. And hello, Cassidy. You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or perhaps you have.”

Cassidy still seemed surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you out and about considering what you’re up against.”

“Sleeping with the Prime Minster of Canada,” said Fiona, shaking her head. “You should be ashamed of yourself, William.”

“She’s not prime minister yet.”

“She would have been had you not slept with her!”

She would not have been prime minister already. Election season in Canada was just getting underway. But his mother was always self-righteous in her wrongness.

“And you slept with that crooked politician just after you got married too,” said Cassidy, regaining her natural nastiness.

“That’s a dirty lie,” Joy said. “We weren’t even a couple when he slept with Diana Davenport.”

“That’s not what it says online.”

“It says a lot of things about you online,” Joy fired back at Cassidy, “but you aren’t in jail.”

Cassidy looked angry. “I didn’t steal that woman’s broach. Her man either. That’s all a lie!”

“A dirty lie like the one you just told on us?” Joy asked. “But that’s what you get for believing everything you see online about everybody else, but nothing about yourself.”

Cassidy, furious, looked at Fiona. “Let’s just go,” she said to her and stood up.

“Where’s Father?” William asked his mother as she stood up too.

Fiona looked at him. “Why are you asking me about him? You know exactly what happened.”

“What happened?” Cassidy asked. She didn’t know. Joy didn’t either.

“After that debacle at our home with that girl’s foolish mother,” Fiona said, motioning at Joy, “he filed for divorce.”

Cassidy was stunned. “Are you serious?”

“No I’m joking. Of course I’m serious, you silly cow!”

Joy smiled. Cassidy gave Fiona a nasty look.

“After all those years of marriage to that listless, lifeless bore of a man, he’s the one who wants a divorce. He said I’m hateful, and reckless, and he doesn’t want to have anything more to do with me.” Then she looked angrily at William. “I hope you’re satisfied.”

“Satisfaction is a strong emotion. The only emotion you elicit in me is an I don’t give a shit.”

Fiona gave him an even harsher look. “I hate you,” she said with clenched teeth.

“The feeling is mutual,” William responded, although Joy could see pain in his eyes.

But Fiona wasn’t finished. She had to turn her fire on Joy. “Marrying that little trollop. Shame on you!”

“Since you love disparaging her so much,” William said, “did you have anything to do with what happened in Indiana?”