Summary

The man withdrew “a pink slip of paper from his wallet” (288). He explained that it was “good for an ice-cream cone” and offered it to the narrator (288). Because it was bad to “accept things from strangers,” the narrator declined (288). Although he tried to convince her, she refused. He did not seem upset.

The man started a crossword puzzle. The narrator could hear Dad in the next room. The man “didn’t seem to hear” him (288). The narrator told the man it was her birthday. She told herself in her head, too, wondering what she should do. The man seemed surprised. The narrator was glad she had gotten “his attention again” (288).

Closing his crossword, the man insisted he did not understand women. He did not understand why she was in the hospital waiting room if it was her birthday (288).

Sitting up straighter in her...