Summary

In “Gig Economy,” a woman writes of her experience “impersonating dead wives” (161) professionally. Grieving widowers hire her to dress up like their deceased wives and go on dates with them. The narrator's sister worries about this career choice, but the narrator tells her that she is very careful about meeting the men and she does not engage in sex work. She planned to go to school for architecture, but soon found herself so busy with her business, which she called “Your Second Wife” (164), that she did not have time to apply. One day, the narrator's sister sends her a video about the recent arrest of an infamous serial killer active in the 1990s. That night, the narrator has a date impersonating a woman named Beth Butler. After visiting the planetarium, the narrator says goodbye to...