"I'm sorry I made you take that quiz," she says. "I just ...Sometimes I wish we could feel things more alike. It could make us closer,you know? I thought if we talked about whether or not we were reallyhappy--"

He stops sanding. "I'll tell you something, Ursula. I never sawmuch point in asking yourself if you're happy, never saw the reason forthat obsessive kind of self-inventory. It bores me. I'm a simple guy,Ursula. I love you and the kids, I like cars. I don't ask for a lot morethan for us all to be together and healthy. That makes me happy. I'm sorryI can't be a malcontent for you. What do you want me to do? Tell you allmy regrets, my failures?" He looks at her, takes in a deep breath. "I hatemy job, Ursula. I'm sick to death of always being the one to initiate sex.You turned out ... sillier than I expected. I believe nuclear war isinevitable, that existence is inherently pointless, that it's too late tosave the environment. Is that what you want to hear? Is that the kind ofromantic prelude you long for?" He puts down his sandpaper. "I'm going tobed."

He squeezes past her out the door, treads heavily up the stairs.Ursula stands before the toy box for a moment, then turns out the lightand heads upstairs herself. She is aware of a sudden and profound fatigue. After she is ready for bed, she climbs in beside Jack, nestles upto him. She is wearing perfume, the red nightgown. She moves closer,whispers, "Are you awake?" She hears his breath go evenly in and out. Thefamiliarity of it calms her. "Jack?" She moves her hand across hisstomach.

"I don't want to talk anymore, okay?" He takes her arm from aroundhim, moves away from her. A first.

"Okay." She lies still, her eyes open, thinking. She isremembering the time she was nine and took apart a jewelry box she loved,to see what made the ballerina turn around. Though she paid carefulattention to each step, when she tried to reassemble in, it didn't workthe way it had before. No one else could fix it, either. The ballerinastayed in place, permanently turned away, oblivious to the music she haddanced to before.