'Would you like a glass of wine?' Wendy asked.
'Well.' Marilyn glanced at the clock. 'Well, sure, why not.'
Yes, I get it, Mom, she thought. I get that I make you uncomfortable enough to want to day-drink. She made sure her mother's eyes followed her over to the rack in the dining room, followed her manicured fingers touching the necks of a few bottles.
'I just got a really lovely Chablis from a friend of ours at the American School.'
'Don't waste any of your fancy stuff on me, Wend; I'm a rube.'
If she were feeling especially ornery Wendy would have said, All I have is 'fancy stuff,' Mom, but she wasn't, so she pulled down the Chablis.
'That's a very pretty bottle,' her mom said.
'I'll give it to you to use as a vase when you leave.'
'Oh, well, I doubt we'll finish an entire bottle.' Again, if feeling ornery, she would have said, You bet your ass we will.