Summary

As this story begins, the narrator, a married woman named Mary, tells us she has a lover. Her husband, Stephen has started a new job in Louisville, and while Mary originally agreed to the move, she has now changed her mind.

Her lover is Larry, the family dentist. Like Mary, Larry grew up in the area; Mary, however, was away for eight years completing her education. She returned three years ago to care for her elderly parents who have since moved to Florida. Now that she is back, Mary wonders why she ever left in the first place. Larry, on the other hand, stayed in town; he became a dentist and married. He has since divorced.

Mary met her husband shortly after she returned home. He is not from the area; rather he is from the North, and he was transferred...