"It seemed to me the woman said this with melancholy, but I wasn't sure. One doesn't get jealous of pets, that's what I always thought, but then I remembered how hard it is for women to accept that for men they're not the first priority, but represent only a certain percentage of time that men are willing to devote to them. And here it's just a matter of luck. The particularly unlucky ones get pennies in the form of thirty percent and assurances that this should be enough. Hence, ultimately, so many women who keep their hundred percent to themselves, betting on loneliness."
"We won't take much of your time, Justina," I said hurriedly, banishing these vexing thoughts. "Tell me, are you familiar with a man named Frank?"
The woman barely stirred, but my gaze didn't miss how quickly she squeezed the cushion and let go.
"Wouldn't this be about my ex-husband, by any chance?"
"That's how he introduced himself," I nodded in agreement.
"And what has that sly one done this time?"
"The thing is, he and Glenn staged an entire performance for us, posing as mechanics. And stole our motorcycle which we left with them, expecting the men to fix it."
Justina raised an eyebrow and a shadow of a smirk slid across her face:
"Not surprising to me. That's Frankie all over."
"Forgive me," I hastened to continue. "I understand this must be unpleasant for you to hear about your ex-husband and son."
"Son?" Justina frowned, but quickly realized. "Oh of course, you must mean Glenn. He's not my son at all. He's my brother."
I looked at Oscar, who couldn't tear himself away from the compote and, by all appearances, had missed half the conversation.
"I don't quite understand, ma'am," I forced out.
My head began to ache.
"Glenn is my blood brother," Justina repeated distinctly. "I actually have many brothers and sisters, but Glenn is the youngest and most difficult of them all. He constantly lies and believes the stories he makes up on the spot."
"And Frank?"
"Frankie really is my husband – an insufferable, cunning fox. When I left him, Glenn kept in touch and they created their own circus, bonding over our disagreements. They travel from town to town fooling people. But honestly, I didn't expect them to have the nerve to come back and pull their cheap scams in their hometown."