Chrissy is a minor character. She is one of the women who Estelle works with at the office. She only appears in the recollected lunchroom scene at the start of the short story. Chrissy is the office receptionist, and according to Estelle “she looks like one; she’s pretty but cool as a cucumber, like she’s been painted all over with nail polish” (164). This image evokes notions of fakeness, or of a facade Chrissy is donning to make herself look immaculate and untouched. The way that Estelle perceives her suggests that Estelle does not look as neat and presentable as Chrissy; her exterior presentation might not satisfy societal expectations of beauty the way Chrissy does. Chrissy’s appearance and mannerisms highlight the pressure placed on women to perform composure, even in the face of discomfort or fear.

Chrissy is the character who brings up the topic of rape fantasies and launches the women’s conversation over lunch. She is reading a magazine about it and wants to hear the other women’s impressions of it. She also shares her fantasy with the group. In this fantasy, Chrissy takes a bubble bath, and a man enters, undresses, and joins her in the tub where they have sex. The other women express surprise that Chrissy wouldn’t flee the bathroom or scream for help in this situation. Their responses show how they are conflating Chrissy’s fantasy with the reality of potential sexual violence. Chrissy’s openness sets the tone for the conversation, but her willingness to speak also leaves her vulnerable to judgment, highlighting how even well-meaning attempts at honesty are policed by social scripts around danger, femininity, and decorum.

Darlene is another minor character. She also works at the unnamed office with Estelle, Chrissy, Sondra, and Greta, and only appears in the lunchroom scene. The way that Estelle describes Darlene suggests that she is set apart from the rest of the group. She not only scoffs at the other women’s chosen topic of conversation, but she also insists that rape is disgusting and that she doesn’t have rape fantasies. Estelle’s narration implies that Darlene talks and behaves in this manner because “[s]he’s the oldest” at 41 years old and because “[s]he’s divorced” (164). Estelle discovered this information when she snooped into Darlene’s personnel file—a clear breach of privacy that Estelle poses as a mere game she plays with herself. Darlene’s response to the women’s discussion also shows how deeply uncomfortable she feels talking about sex and sexual violence. Her discomfort suggests a generational divide, or perhaps deeper trauma, and reflects the difficulty many women face when trying to engage with taboo or triggering topics in public or professional spaces.

Greta is another minor character and another woman who works at the office with Estelle, Chrissy, Darlene, and Sondra. She is also a part of the lunchroom scene, the bridge game, and the conversation about rape fantasies. Like Chrissy, Greta shares her fantasy with the group. In hers, she is lying on the couch watching television in a state of repose when a man swings into her 18th-floor apartment on a rope and the two have sex. Much like Chrissy’s fantasy, Greta’s fantasy conveys sex as a form of pleasure and enjoyment; she conflates her fantasy with rape because she’s been taught to demonize her sexual desire.

The way that Estelle regards Greta also provides insight into Estelle’s character. She privately scoffs when Greta initially insists that the women shouldn’t worry about being raped because they live in Toronto, and not a place like Detroit (where she used to live). In the surrounding narration, Estelle discredits Greta’s experience, insisting she didn’t even live in Detroit, “she just worked in Detroit” (165). She has been culturally conditioned to invalidate other women’s stories and does so in the context of Greta. Greta’s fantasy, which begins in pleasure and ends in ambivalence, mirrors how many women navigate desire under patriarchal constraint—never certain where fantasy ends and social shame begins.