Summary

In Chapter 13, Lola lay awake in bed. Though a plumber had tried to extract her ring from the Golconda sink, he had failed. Initially, Lola “was devastated by the loss of the ring” (227). On the walk home, she converted the loss “to memory” (228). Now the ring’s disappearance “felt as if it had happened to someone else” (228). She wondered if she would feel differently if Boots were home. Though she did not like Clive’s methods, she had hoped he would cure her of her addiction to men (228). She got up and went through her shoebox, discovering a little business card for the Golconda. She realized one of her lovers had known the Golconda “was coming,” but was unsure who (229).

In Chapter 14, Lola woke to “the sound of glass smashing” (231). A shelf in the kitchen had fallen. She wondered if she should tell...