Summary

Gary is awakened by the cries of his two-year-old daughter. Nellie has become neglectful of Lilian. She tells Gary she is tired of Lilian and him. Gary slaps and beats her. In their 25 years of marriage, it is the only time he hit Nellie. They argued but he learned to just walk out of the room. Nellie wants to move to a quiet residential area. Gary agrees but first they have to save the down payment.

Gary is concerned about the communes that are being built in China. The communes in the Soviet Union were a disaster. China is selling the communes as a way to surpass the U.S. and the UK. Gary is preoccupied by the changes in his country. He often debates the relationship between China and Russia with a co-worker who hates Communism. Despite the distance and ocean between him...