Betty screamed when I drove into the ditch. The car sank its nose into a sorry little pond. I tried to turn the motor off-the windshield wipers went on.

Betty opened the door in a rage, without a word. I asked myself what I had done wrong, how this could have happened, exactly. I got out behind her. The VW looked like a big stupid animal in its death throes. The bumpers were all smashed in.

“We’ve been attacked by martians,” I said.

By the time I turned around to look at her, she was gone, marching down the road in her high heels. I galloped after her.

“Jesus, don’t worry about the car,” I said.

She was walking fast, like she was on springs, looking straight ahead of her. I had a hell of a time keeping up.

“I couldn’t care less about that hunk of tin!” she said. “It isn’t that…”

“There’s no problem… We can’t have more than a couple of miles to go. It’ll do us good…”

“I’m thinking about Sonia,” she went on. “You remember Sonia…?”

“Yeah… you mean your girlfriend?”

“Yes, right. Don’t you think she’s lucky, my girlfriend? Don’t you think that SHE can afford to SMILE?”

“Shit, Betty, don’t start that again.”

“You see,” she went on. “Sonia and me were waitresses in the same place before I came here. We did the same job-polish the glasses, serve, sweep. At night we sat around together in our apartments and talked about what life would be like once we got out of there. Tonight I saw how she’s done since then. I think she’s found herself a nice little place in the sun…”

You could see the motel lights in the distance. We weren’t out of the woods yet, and the downward slope was getting slippery.

“You don’t agree?” she insisted.

I told myself, just keep walking, don’t pay attention to what she says-in a second she’ll forget all about it.