Part 1, Chapters 8, 9,10 and 11 Summary

"Shopping is not Creating"

This chapter consists almost entirely of a story told by Claire as narrated by Andy, a story set on Texlahoma, "an asteroid orbiting the earth" that rocket scientists always forget about and which life is permanently lived in the style of 1974 (see "Objects/Places - Texlahoma"). Claire's story is of a space traveler named Buck, who contracts a strange space disease and is forced to stay in with the Monroe family until he recovers. He romances each of the materialistic Monroe daughters in turn, trying to convince them to help him treat himself with a cure that might potentially end their lives. Only the love of the less materialistic, artistically creative third daughter is strong enough to lead her to help him, and help him she does. Meanwhile, the other two Monroe sisters comment on...