Chapter 9 Summary

Sheba is very depressed this morning. After barely eating anything for breakfast, she isolates herself in her bedroom to work. She is using modeling clay that Barbara bought for her to make a statue of a mother and child. Barbara says she was only able to catch a glimpse of the work before Sheba slammed the door in her face. Sheba often tells Barbara that there is an ebb and flow to marriage. If one person is feeling bored, the other is feeling passionate. She says that the happiest couples are the ones who balance each other so that there is never a vacuum. Barbara says her and Sheba's living arrangements are very similar to a marriage. Sheba's current surliness, Barbara reasons, will soon pass, and it will be Barbara's turn to receive attention.

Barbara marks the next important part of Sheba's timeline...