Judi swam over to her. "Ricky heard about our office party at Bay Meadows Race Track on Thursday night. He offered to buy all of us a drink. Isn't that sweet of him?"

"He can keep his liquor," Grace answered.

The two girls floated quietly side by side in the water. Judi broke the silence. "What are you going to wear tomorrow night?"

"I really haven't thought about it." If the truth be known, she wasn't too eager to go to the track with the rest of the staff. The management was picking up the tab for admission and meals and drinks, but the entire affair seemed such a waste of time. Grace didn't intend to bet any of her hard-earned money. A more boring evening she couldn't imagine. But, as newly appointed Office Manager, she felt the obligation to attend.

Judi began chattering away about the various merits of the different dresses she had, their effects on men, how women reacted to them (usually jealously), and how much each of them had cost.

Grace listened with only about a quarter of her mind's attention. She day-dreamed, thinking of how nice it would be to suddenly inherit a lot of money from a previously unheard-of uncle or aunt… or win one of the soap company sweepstakes which would pay $50,000 cash or $400 each month for the rest of her life. She could imagine the happy look on Stan's face when he came home and discovered she had purchased a house and furnished it just the way they had always dreamed – with a nursery and a big formal dining room and an all-electric modern kitchen…

"… and so I told her, 'Well, lady, he's your husband. Why don't you tie a bell around his neck so you'll know where he is?' And she says to me, 'If I catch you again with my husband, I'll…'" Judi continued yapping happily away about her uncomplicated life.

Grace, feeling the buoyancy of the water holding her effortlessly up simply let her body and mind drift. In the house, there would be a bathroom with a sunken tub, a huge fireplace with lots of cushions tossed about so guests could lie on the floor in comfort if they chose. Of course, it's all just a wonderful dream, she thought, but there's no harm in dreaming.