"Where are you, Janet? You look a thousand miles away."

"Oh, no, Martin," she quickly apologized. "It's just that I've never seen anything like this before. I wonder how those girls must feel up there with nothing covering them, dancing hour after hour. They must be awfully bored."

"Probably no more bored than you."

"Martin, no. I'm having a wonderful time," she apologized again. "If I'm a little silent it's just the liquor. Really, you could never bore me."

"That's not really what I'm talking about," he said.

"I don't understand."

"I mean Greg. I know it's probably none of my business, but I've noticed that he doesn't pay any attention to you anymore. I wasn't surprised at all that you had been drinking when I picked you up tonight. I've been hitting the bottle pretty hard lately myself because of Darleen. So I know how you feel."

Janet listened to him, feeling the warmth of his breath as he talked to her. He had moved closer so that she could hear him over the pounding music. She suddenly felt very close to this man. They were sharing an experience and she felt a kinship that only a shared loneliness can bring.

"I didn't know, Martin. I thought you and Darleen were happy. I've never noticed anything that would make anyone suspect you were having problems too."

"Oh, we're good actors, Janet. It's been almost three years since we've really gotten along. We haven't even been to bed together in the last year. I sleep out in the guest room."

Janet was shocked. "I had no idea. Here I've been brooding about my life and I'm in heaven compared to you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek affectionately.