Summary

At the beginning of Part II, when school ended, the uppers began rearranging into romantic couples. Vera was surprised by Ana’s choice of partner, Jonathon, a seemingly meek and timid boy. However, she realized that Ana was most likely choosing a husband “who would draw out of [her] whatever peril [she] carried” (67). Within the year Ana had her first child, Teresa. As Vera watched her classmates get married, she feared that she would not find a partner and her premonition about her own inadequacies would manifest. However, she did get married and “was not even especially late to do so” (68). She had never given much thought to Peter but agreed to go for a walk with him after he attended to her toothache at the dentist’s office. Vera became pregnant shortly after their marriage but was unsure if she would be...