Summary

pp. 33 – 60. On the morning of her birthday, Regina receives a phone call from her loud, world-traveling, widowed mother. Narration describes the relative happiness of the marriage of Regina’s parents, who loved each other but were very different, enjoying their life together until the sudden death of Regina’s father while she was in high school. Shortly afterwards, Regina joins Laurence and Brodeur in a marathon session of speed grading at Brodeur’s home. In narration, Regina reveals her curiosity about Brodeur’s wife, who is described as a professor and as apparently aspiring to look as much like one of her own students as possible, and who, at the time of the grading session, is out of the house. Several hours and dozens of papers later, Martha comes home from time at the gym, and Regina takes advantage of a bathroom...