even talk to Mimi any more without this happening.
"If you must know, I cleaned the bathroom," Mimi told her husband.
"Oh, is that what you were doing when I got home?" Roger asked.
"Yea," Mimi replied.
Somehow, he didn't believe her.
"How's Janine?" Mimi asked.
She said the name "Janine" as though she was really saying "poison."
J anine was the sales rep in Roger's office. She was part of the reason behind Mighty Millwork’s recent success, Roger was sure.
While Mimi was convinced her husband was having an affair with her.
Mimi met Janine last year at the company picnic. Janine was twenty-two, with long thick blonde hair and naughty librarian glasses. The worst thing about the woman, though,in Mimi's opinion, was her mega-watt super white smile that seemed to take up half her face.
Mimi felt blinded by that smile... like she needed to don her sunglasses just to escape its overbearing glare of self-confidence.
Mimi knew girls like Janine . G irls who wielded their smiles like swords. Their smiles granted them every wish.
Every guy lusted after them.
Every woman thought they were so sweet and friendly.
Every boss thought they were so valuable to the company .
Every teacher thought they were super smart and could do no wrong.
But really, these girls used their toothpaste commercial grins to manipulate people... to get people...especially men... on their side.
At the picnic, Roger and Mimi had gone off together, both of them laughing about something with Mimi's giant grin dialed up to full minty blast. Mimi had seen how comfortable they acted in each other's company, as if they had known each other all their lives.
Observing her husband with this overly smiley woman created an empty gnawing sensation in the pit of Mimi's stomach. She suddenly felt impossibly drab and gawky in her maroon Walmart pants and prissy striped blouse.
When Mimi confronted Roger about his "relationship" with Janine after the picnic, Roger had immediately grown defensive.
"It's a company event, damn it!" he had roared, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "What do you want me to do, ignore people I work with? What the hell , Mimi!"
Mimi shrunk back as though she'd been struck. She hadn't expected such an overly passionate response. She had expected Roger to shrug and say he had no choice but to be friendly to Janine, but really he found the woman to be an insufferable phony bitch.
"You don't have to get so defensive!" Mimi pointed out. "It's just that you two looked pretty cozy together."
Roger did not respond to this. He just sat there, silently steaming. Mimi could practically see clouds of angry steam billowing out of her husband's ears.
"Those teeth! God!" Mimi went on.
She should have been smart. She should have r ead Roger's body language and clammed up. But she just couldn't help herself.
"It's so obvious she just had them done!" Mimi continued .
By this point, her normally placid husband's face registered red hot fury. However, like a snowball rolling down hill, she just kept on going.
"They're so white they probably glow in the dark... and I mean without a black light! And that smile . Jesus! It looks like she's a jack-o-lantern on crack!"
Mimi spit out that last sentence with gusto; pleased with her clever descriptive phrase.
Then Roger said something so hurtful... so unlike him, that the empty gnawing sensation in Mimi's gut had emptied out into a bottomless pit of despair.
"You're a bitch!" Roger informed his wife of less than a year.
The way Roger said that word "bitch" in such a calm, cool and calculated voice... that hurt Mimi more than if he had shouted the word at her in anger.
"I'M THE BITCH?" Mimi had screamed back, more out of hurt than anger.
But Roger had just stormed off, leaving her there alone; her nerves jangled and raw. Yet she felt justified in her observations.
"If you must know, I cleaned the bathroom," Mimi told her husband.
"Oh, is that what you were doing when I got home?" Roger asked.
"Yea," Mimi replied.
Somehow, he didn't believe her.
"How's Janine?" Mimi asked.
She said the name "Janine" as though she was really saying "poison."
J anine was the sales rep in Roger's office. She was part of the reason behind Mighty Millwork’s recent success, Roger was sure.
While Mimi was convinced her husband was having an affair with her.
Mimi met Janine last year at the company picnic. Janine was twenty-two, with long thick blonde hair and naughty librarian glasses. The worst thing about the woman, though,in Mimi's opinion, was her mega-watt super white smile that seemed to take up half her face.
Mimi felt blinded by that smile... like she needed to don her sunglasses just to escape its overbearing glare of self-confidence.
Mimi knew girls like Janine . G irls who wielded their smiles like swords. Their smiles granted them every wish.
Every guy lusted after them.
Every woman thought they were so sweet and friendly.
Every boss thought they were so valuable to the company .
Every teacher thought they were super smart and could do no wrong.
But really, these girls used their toothpaste commercial grins to manipulate people... to get people...especially men... on their side.
At the picnic, Roger and Mimi had gone off together, both of them laughing about something with Mimi's giant grin dialed up to full minty blast. Mimi had seen how comfortable they acted in each other's company, as if they had known each other all their lives.
Observing her husband with this overly smiley woman created an empty gnawing sensation in the pit of Mimi's stomach. She suddenly felt impossibly drab and gawky in her maroon Walmart pants and prissy striped blouse.
When Mimi confronted Roger about his "relationship" with Janine after the picnic, Roger had immediately grown defensive.
"It's a company event, damn it!" he had roared, a vein throbbing in his forehead. "What do you want me to do, ignore people I work with? What the hell , Mimi!"
Mimi shrunk back as though she'd been struck. She hadn't expected such an overly passionate response. She had expected Roger to shrug and say he had no choice but to be friendly to Janine, but really he found the woman to be an insufferable phony bitch.
"You don't have to get so defensive!" Mimi pointed out. "It's just that you two looked pretty cozy together."
Roger did not respond to this. He just sat there, silently steaming. Mimi could practically see clouds of angry steam billowing out of her husband's ears.
"Those teeth! God!" Mimi went on.
She should have been smart. She should have r ead Roger's body language and clammed up. But she just couldn't help herself.
"It's so obvious she just had them done!" Mimi continued .
By this point, her normally placid husband's face registered red hot fury. However, like a snowball rolling down hill, she just kept on going.
"They're so white they probably glow in the dark... and I mean without a black light! And that smile . Jesus! It looks like she's a jack-o-lantern on crack!"
Mimi spit out that last sentence with gusto; pleased with her clever descriptive phrase.
Then Roger said something so hurtful... so unlike him, that the empty gnawing sensation in Mimi's gut had emptied out into a bottomless pit of despair.
"You're a bitch!" Roger informed his wife of less than a year.
The way Roger said that word "bitch" in such a calm, cool and calculated voice... that hurt Mimi more than if he had shouted the word at her in anger.
"I'M THE BITCH?" Mimi had screamed back, more out of hurt than anger.
But Roger had just stormed off, leaving her there alone; her nerves jangled and raw. Yet she felt justified in her observations.
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