Summary

In pain from her injury, and disturbed by the light and noise outside, Leda is unable to sleep. As she lies awake on her bed, she has "a growing sensation of flaking layers: Bianca and Marta, the difficulties in my work, Nina, Elena, Rosaria, my parents, Nina's husband, the books I was reading, Gianni, my ex-husband" (35). Finally, as the sun begins to rise, her thoughts settle and she is able to fall asleep.

Leda packs up her things and heads off to the beach but encounters traffic and has difficulty parking. Finally at the beach, she finds "a chaos greater than that of the day before," as many people head for the sea on this hot Sunday (35). Once she has settled herself on the sand, Leda begins to look around for Rosaria. She spots Nina and her husband, walking along the water's edge. To...