Chapters 1 - 3 Summary

Chapter 1 opens as Ray Midge is tracking his wife's travels by way of charges appearing on his Texaco and American Express credit cards. Norma has run away with her first husband, Guy Dupree. So far, they have been through Arkansas and Texas and have entered Mexico, in Ray's car no less. In hindsight, Ray has analyzed the signs that Norma was restless and unhappy. She had wanted to move, to dye her hair, to open a jewelry store, and to otherwise change her lifestyle in significant ways. Ray had not listened and had not taken her seriously. Rather, he had been busy with his college courses, having decided to return to school and earn accreditation as a high school math teacher.

The catalyst for the desertion was Guy's legal troubles. He was not a man of few words and fashioned himself...