Agnes’ voice carried through the air like Joe Biden admiring a muscle car at a political rally in Lima, Ohio. Declan looked down and rotated his hip just enough to scrutinize his own groin. “Mercy mercy mercy,” said a woman in the back row as she grabbed a small device and turned it on. A motorized whir filled the room. “Jesus, Lindi, did you just turn on your vibrator?” Agnes called out. “No! I would never bring that here,” Lindi said, scandalized. “It’s just my menopause fan.” “What’s a menopause fan?” As the words escaped Declan McCormick’s mouth, Gerald could see him wish he could pull them back in. Too bad mouths didn’t come with backspace keys. “You’re still young. Just wait. After Shannon pops out a few pups for you and her hormones go crazy in twenty years, you’ll know damn well what a menopause fan is,”
