The Stepford Wives

"No, thanks. Want to get together?"

"I can't; I've got to do some cleaning. Really."

"You see? You're changing. That Stepford magic is starting to work."

A BLACK WOMAN in an orange scarf and striped fake-fur coat stood waiting at the library desk, her fingertips resting on a stack of books. She glanced at Joa

About thirty.

Joa

"We could walk off with the whole place if we wanted to," the black woman said, and Joa

The black woman smiled. "Is it always this empty?" she asked.

"I've never seen it this way before," Joa

"Are you new in Stepford?"

"Three months."

"Three days for me," the black woman said.

"I hope you like it."

"I think I will."

Joa

"Rutha

Joa

The woman smiled. "Do you have any small children?" she asked.

Joa

"I've done a children's book, Pe

"Of course," Joa

"Subtle propaganda," Rutha

"You did the illustrations too," Joa

"Thank you."

"Are you doing another one?"

Rutha

"I'm sorry," Miss Austrian said, coming limping from the back of the room.

"It's so quiet here in the morning that I" -she stopped and blinked, and came limping on-"work in the office. Have to get one of those bells people can tap on. Hello, Mrs. Eberhart." She smiled at Joa

"Hello," Joa

Rutha

"Oh?" Miss Austrian sat down heavily in the chair and held its arms with plump pink hands. "That's a very popular book," she said. "We have two copies in circulation and they're both replacements."

"I like this library," Rutha

"Do you live in Stepford?"

"Yes, I just moved here."

"Then you're welcome to join," Miss Austrian said. She opened a drawer, took out a white card, and put it down beside the stack of books.

AT THE CENTER LUNCHEONETTE'S counter, empty except for two telephone repairmen, Rutha

"None at all that I heard of," Joa

"They're all right," Rutha

"Oh listen," Joa

Rutha

Joa

Rutha

They exchanged phone numbers. "I turned into a hermit when I was working on Pe

"I'll call you," Joa

On the way to their cars-they had left them in front of the library-Joa

She told Rutha

"Who?"

"Ike Mazzard. The illustrator."

Rutha

HAVING ADAM for the weekend was a mixed blessing. On Saturday he and Pete and Kim played beautifully together, inside the house and out; but on Sunday, a freezing-cold overcast day when Walter laid claim to the family room for football-watching (fairly enough after last Sunday's sledding), Adam and Pete became, serially, soldiers in a blanket-over-the-dining-table fort, explorers in the cellar ("Stay out of that darkroom!"), and Star Trek people in Pete's room-all of them sharing, strangely enough, a single common enemy called KimShe's-Dim. They were loudly and scornfully watchful, preparing defenses; and poor Kim was dim, wanting only to join them, not to crayon or help file negatives, not even -Joa

Joa

But she was glad she had taken him when she saw how great they looked.

Bobbie had had her hair done and was absolutely beautiful-either due to make-up or lovemaking, probably both. And Dave looked jaunty and keyed up and happy. They brought bracing coldness into the entrance hall. "Hi, Joa

"Not a speck," Joa

"We feel marvelous," Dave said, and Bobbie smiled and said, "It was a lovely weekend. Thank you for helping us manage it."

"Forget it," Joa

"We'll be glad to take him," Bobbie said, and Dave said, "Whenever you want, just say the word. Adam? Time to go."

"He's up in Pete's room."

Dave cupped his gloved hands and shouted, "Adam! We're here! Get your stuff!"

"Take your coats off," Joa

"Got to pick up Jon and Ke