Seer by Robin Roseau

accurate. They fought when they hosted. Elsa wanted everything to be perfect, and Gabby was happy to serve pizza on paper plates with paper towels for napkins.
    Gabby looked over at Elsa and Dolores, speaking together in German. “Maybe Straight Girl could host.”
    “Let’s get through tonight first,” I suggested. “Dean hasn’t made up his mind yet, and you know I won’t be able to keep him reined in more than one night.” If Dean decided he liked her, he’d be as protective of her as he was of his other friends. But if he wanted her gone, he’d drive her away. I wouldn’t want to subject her to that.
    Frank and Patty arrived a few minutes before six. Patty was one of those women who don’t leave the house without full makeup, and she arrived as a force onto herself, tastefully dressed in a pantsuit and artistically composed. Frank was somewhat more casual, but she’d made him dress up a little, too. He looked good. He always did. Patty saw to that.
    She told me that early in their marriage, he’d started to put on weight. She told him in no uncertain terms he was going to take care of himself. She had already taught him to treat her the way she demanded, and so with this fresh demand, he had accepted her leadership. I was jealous of the quality of their relationship, in a way, but it gave me heart to see relationships could last.
    They brought more wine. Patty had asked what we were having for dinner, so she brought something that would go well with both the salmon and the soup. I may not have planned the meal well — I wasn’t sure this was the right combination. But I made what I wanted, and I’d wanted the salmon, and I’d wanted the soup. I refused to feel bad if there were better combinations I could have chosen.
    Ten minutes later, we were all seated at my table. I always made couples split up. Elsa had maintained possession of Dolores, and I put Frank on her other side. I was across the table from her, and so I’d put a buffer zone around her. But everyone was on his best behavior, and Elsa was clearly befriending Dolores, so I felt everything would be okay.
    A minute or two into the meal, however, Dean announced, “I’ve behaved.”
    “And you are going to continue to,” I said.
    “I want to know her story,” Dean said. He turned to Dolores. “Tell us about yourself, Dee.”
    Dolores bristled for a moment, and I was about to rush to her defense. “I asked you not to call me that,” she said quietly.
    “What’s the big deal?” he asked.
    I could have killed him, but Dolores handled it. “The big deal? That’s what my scumbag ex-husband was calling me while assuring me, ‘She didn’t mean anything to me, Dee.’ Except he’d been sleeping with her for four years, and two years with the one before that.” She paused. “Now you know what the big deal is and my story at the same time.”
    Elsa said something in German t oo quietly for me to hear, and I saw the two of them clasp hands for a moment. I thought that was sweet. With another couple, I might have worried about jealousy, but Gabby didn’t have a jealous bone in her body, and Elsa would never give her a real reason to grow one.
    Dolores turned back to Dean to see if he was going to push harder.
    He cocked his head, then smiled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just like nicknames.”
    “Maybe you can wait until you get to know me better before you try any others on me,” she suggested.
    She was actually doing better than I thought she would. She’d seemed so vulnerable, but she was putting up with Dean better than I would have expected.
    But I could tell Dean was considering his options. I caught Mike’s eye. If Dean picked on her after my repeatedly asking him to be nice, I’d never invite him back.
    “How long has it been, Dolores?” Mike asked gently.
    “I caught him a little over a year ago,” she replied. “It was staring me in the face for the longest time, but I was in denial.” She looked around. “Not