Narrator's West Coast Home

Shortly after moving to the West Coast, the narrator moves into a large, old house. She lives here with a woman named Madeleine, who soon becomes her close friend. The narrator enjoys living with Madeleine because the house is large, and they are both able to work separately, giving each other space when needed, and coming together when desired.

Throughout her relationship with the lover, the narrator only likes to spend time at her house. She initially attributes this to the menial nature of his living space. However, she later realizes that she merely likes to spend time with him here because she wants their relationship to be on her terms.

In this house, the narrator has a room with a card table, situated near a window where she writes and prepares to teach her classes. During the affair, she and the lover spend their...