At first, Helen refused to do any such thing. She didn’t explain her reasoning. Wine had not turned her into a blabbermouth. She simply said no. Sandra expected this reaction from Helen, so she continued to tell her why her idea was likely to succeed, that’s what men want to see, women have to humor the brutes sometimes, and anything else she could think of to convince her. But Sandra’s explanations, justifications, and comical rationalizations did not change Helen’s mind in the least. Like most everyone, Helen did not like being told what she should do, even if she was given excellent grounds for doing it. She preferred to handle her affairs in her own way. But then Joan asked, “Why would anyone put this much effort into Bill? That’s who we’re talking about. Boring, bawdy, self-absorbed Bill. If you ask me, and I know you’re not, he’s not worth any effort. I would never do this for him. Maybe for another guy, someone cute, someone like Paul Newman, but for Bill? Never.”
