“The garbage disposal,” she says.

“What about it?”

“It’s not disposing garbage,” she says. “And the sink is all filled up with…garbage.”

“Did you call a plumber?”

“I calledyou. ”

“I’ll stop by this afternoon.”

“What time?”

“I don’t know, Patty,” he says. “I have things to do. I’ll get there when I get there.”

“You have the key,” she says.

I already know that, he thinks. Why does she have to remind me every time? “I have the key,” he says. “I just had lunch with Jill.”

“It’s Tuesday,” she says.

“Did she tell you?”

“About medical school?” Patty asks. “She showed me the letter. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“Absolutely wonderful.”

“But how are we going to pay for it, Frank?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“But I don’t know-”

“I’ll figure it out,” Frank says. “Patty, I’m going to lose you here…”

He clicks off.

Terrific, he thinks, now I have a clogged-up garbage disposal to add to my day. Ten to one, Patty was peeling potatoes in the sink and tried to wash them down the disposal. And even though I’ve got at least four plumbers on the arm that I could send over there, it has to be me, or Patty doesn’t believe it’s fixed. Unless she’s got me under the sink barking my knuckles on a wrench, she’s not happy.

He pulls off at a strip mall in Solana Beach, goes into Starbucks and buys a single cappuccino with skimmed milk and a cherry but no whipped cream, puts a cover on it, hops back into the van, and drives over to Donna’s little boutique.

She’s behind the counter.

“Skimmedmilk?” she asks.

“Yeah, like every other day I bring you a skimmed milk,” Frank says, “but today I bring you awhole milk.”

“You’re a darling.” She smiles at him, takes a sip, and says, “Thank you. I didn’t have time for lunch today.”