Michelle: "I've never been more excited to see anyone in my entire life! Where have you been? People are pointing and staring! And that wine, have you had the wine?"

He laughs and makes fun of Fanny's "cheap hooch," then delights equally in looking at Michelle in the dress and watching her bleh the wine back into a glass. Which, if you can find that kind of thing adorable, and you'd be surprised, that is how you know your love is real. He takes command, makes everybody call hello to his wife, and then cracks a joke about the wine... Just in time.

Fanny: "What is wrong with my wine? It has a nun on the label and everything!"
(Kiss kiss.)
Fanny: "Good turnout. It's not every day we have a Playboy Playmate in our midst... Look at that dress. Truly has outdone herself. You met Truly? You know, she and Hubbell used to date -- oh honey, it was going to come out eventually -- the breakup was hard. We still don't let her have scissors! Now let's introduce you to the Book Club..."

And, once again, after this brief but relentless pounding of wondrous Fanny Words and all they imply, Michelle is forced once more to flee.

Just imagine, though, how good it's going to feel when Fanny finally loves Michelle, and somebody -- a relative, perhaps, or somebody in the Garden Club -- dares to step to Michelle, or call her names. Dares to insult Fanny in that way. Imagine how she'll pull this sabre, without so much as a fucking rattle, and lay waste to that person. And how they will flee. And Michelle -- and you, and I -- will see this and think, we're the only scientist who understands:

Fanny doesn't burn the city down because she's evil. It's just that there's this cave by the ocean, and we're the only ones who know it's there. Or what she's protecting inside.

UPSTAIRS

Michelle is fugued out upstairs, staring out at the view and trying to remember how to breathe, when Hubbell catches up.

Michelle: "This is a really beautiful view. You said it was a beautiful view and it is. But you didn't tell me you lived with your mother. And I mean, you really live with your mother. She's everywhere. This is her house... She has a dance studio in the back. Her whole life is here. You didn't tell me any of that."