Summary

In "Aftershocks," "Orphan," Nadia remembers her mother calling her a "self-sufficient" child (191). She wonders if her mother used this trait as evidence that Nadia did not need her. Before leaving for New York, Nadia discovered a childhood journal, in which she described a series of places she had lived, and her desire not to "get left behind" (192). When she graduated years later, she was afraid of looking into the audience and noticing her parents' absence. Reading a study on orphans comforted her.

In "Panic," when she first arrived in New York, Nadia had a panic attack on the train. A black couple helped her when she fainted. Nearly everyone ignored them on the street.

In "Baby Fever," when Nadia was 27, she thought she was pregnant. Her relationship with George was rocky. After several tests said she was pregnant, Nadia considered the pros and...