The couple ducks into the restaurant–the doorways give them plenty of clearance, but they bow anyway. The host shows them to a table and the woman takes the chair facing the mirror. As she and her husband speak, she keeps catching glimpses of herself in the reflection just beyond him. She tries to look away, act natural, not excessively play with her smooth brown hair.  Later, she holds cool eye contact with herself as she sips a glass of wine, returning to the conversation with her husband whenever he needs her. With her perfect posture, she can make out all of the angles of her face.

When the first course arrives–olives, cheese, and bread–her husband gestures for her to go first. She smiles and helps herself. She peeks in the mirror as she eats a large morsel. Suddenly, she jerks, she stops. Even fine cheekbones lose their appeal when someone…