And when it came, I made a small business of the sugar, and while he was turned toward the waiter I picked up the wine glass and poured about two-thirds of it into an empty sparkling water bottle that was standing on my side of the table.

Then I put the glass down with a mouthful left in it and left a lipstick mark on the rim.

I put the bottle in my bag.

In the car on the way home he said, “You didn’t finish your wine,” and I said the Malbec had been corked and I hadn’t wanted to make a fuss, and he said, “You should have sent it back, that’s forty dollars,” and that was the entire conversation.

I texted Ruiz from the bathroom at 11:40.