Frank called later that day to inform his wife that he would be holding an extra football practice after school. He would not have time to go out for dinner, so he wanted Martha to bring him down a meal. For his wife, it was an hour's ride each way on the bus. But that never occurred to Frank. He knew what he wanted and he did not ask for it. He demanded it.

Martha seldom went to the school. She felt shy of confronting other teachers or her husband's students. She feared what they might think of her. She took time in front of the mirror, trying to arrange her long pale-blonde hair into a twist. She normally wore it in a drab ponytail, but she wanted to convey the right image at the school. She knew Frank would nag her if she didn't. She put on a little eye makeup and some lipstick. She put in her contact lenses, which she seldom wore because they were a little more trouble than glasses and who was looking anyway.

Her image in the mirror when she was ready to leave surprised Martha. She had let Frank's neglect convince her that she was no longer an attractive woman. The mirror told her something else.

It told her she had high round firm breasts and a tight pert ass. It told her she had a headful of pretty, naturally blonde hair. It told her that her face, though on the thin side, had a gaunt beauty that was reminiscent of a painting by an old Dutch master.