Table for Two: Fictions

Peggy suspects that John, her second husband, is having an affair. Peggy’s first husband Harry had an affair when Peggy’s daughters Nell and Susie were teenagers, which has ruined Peggy’s outlook on life. Peggy tells Nell that the club where John plays squash every Saturday has been closed for six months, but John still claims to go to the club each Saturday. Peggy asks Nell to follow John next Saturday with a camera. Nell reluctantly agrees, though she thinks John is playing squash at a different club.

Nell tells her husband Jeremy about the plan, and Jeremy suggests that Nell stay out of the situation. Nell is infuriated, noting her history of work as a women’s advocate. Jeremy helps Nell prepare, giving her a hat, jacket, and camera. However, before Nell leaves to follow John, Peggy calls and tells Nell not to go. Nell decides to follow John anyway.

Tracking John through Manhattan, Nell loses sight of him at a public restroom. Then, Nell finds John dressed in roller-skate gear, skating with a large group of people to disco music. Another skater, Car Wash, tells Nell that John goes by “Gloria” and is the best old-style skater in the city. Nell initially assumes that John might be gay, but Car Wash clarifies that the skaters use nicknames that identify their favorite songs—Gloria is a reference to the song “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.