Summary

In "South," Marie-Claude drives her children, Flo and Tristan, "out from under the dense Baltimore sky" (191). They ask her to tell them stories. She decides to tell them about "her first crush" because she does not want "to talk about their father, who left her" last year (191). The children beg for a story about ghosts. Flo becomes demanding. Marie-Claude tries to stay calm. Flo says their father told them about the story, and they want to hear it again. Marie-Claude wonders what version her ex might have told them. When she starts her version, "the story begins to make Marie-Claude feel better" (195). She thinks the children are engaged, but Flo soon starts complaining about the account's lack of ghosts. The more she tells, the more frustrated Flo becomes. She finally declares that Marie-Claude is a liar. Marie-Claude protests...