Summary

Ricardo narrates, pleading “Listen, man. Listen” and telling a story about a woman who liked to do silly things to make him laugh (93). He describes her antics, then trails off as if listening to someone. In response to an unstated question, he goes back to describe the beginning of his relationship with the woman. When he met her, he worked for an ad agency and saw many portfolios from hopeful copy artists, and Miriam was one of these.

The story resumes in a script format as Ricardo tells Miriam that her drawings are excellent, but that she is far too talented for the agency. Miriam accuses him of being “sullen” for the first time (95). The story shows several short scenes from their first lunch together, each time beginning in the middle of a story. They each talk...