"People can be a little too concerned with image, big city or otherwise," Gus said with a subtle bitterness that came from experience. He wouldn't take any of it back. He and Francine had had some really good years, and they had great kids (not as many as he'd wanted, but considering how they'd ended up, two was probably a good number), and that would just have to be enough.
"Nah, no point until I'm done," he said of the rag, "They'll just get messy again. And besides, I think single women in apartments are supposed to have cats. Not babies or dogs. Right?"
He grinned big at her and hunched his shoulders, like he expected a flogging for that one. Gus didn't think she was the crazy cat lady type. She was more the 'born in the wrong town but doomed to never leave it' type, which was a shame. She'd probably really spread her wings if she didn't let herself get all knotted up in her hometown.