'That was quick,' he said.

'He wasn't his usual playful self. He said I was looking lovely today-'

'You are.'

Janine blushed. 'But he didn't go beyond that. Didn't seem like his heart was all that in it.'

'I just gave him the bad news about his wife. She was getting a little somethin'-somethin' on the side with this young auto parts clerk, sells batteries over at the Pep Boys in northern Virginia.'

'How'd they meet? He see her stalled out on the side of the road or something?'

'Yeah, he's one of those good Samaritans you hear about.'

'Pulled over to give her a jump, huh.'

'Now, Janine.'

'This the same guy she was shackin' up with two years ago?'

'Different guy. Different still than the guy she was running with three years before that.'

'What's he gonna do?'

'He went through the motions with me, telling me what he was going to do to that guy. But all's he'll do is, he'll make Denice suffer a little bit. Not with his hands, nothin' like that. Jimmy wouldn't touch Denice in that way. No, they'll be doing some kind of I'm Sorry ceremony for the next few days, and then he'll forgive her, until the next one comes along.'

'Why's he stay with her?'

'He loves her. And I think she loves him, too. So I guess there's no chance for you and Big Jimmy. I don't think he'll be leaving her any time soon.'

'Oh, I can wait.'

Strange grinned. 'Give him a chance to fill out a little bit, huh?'

'He fills out any more, we'll have to put one of those garage doors on the front of this place just to let him in.'

'He fills out any more, Fat Albert, Roseanne, Liz Taylor, and Sinbad gonna get together and start telling Jimmy Simmons weight jokes.'