Chapter 2 Summary

Neil holds Brenda's glasses the next afternoon as a guest at the Country Club. Brenda wears a black tank suit and is barefooted, contrasting with other women who are wearing Cuban heels, knuckle-sized rings, and large straw hats bought in Barbados. Brenda lays her thick glasses on the pool's deck. Neil dives in and surfaces like a dolphin beside Brenda, sliding her legs on his. They play together in the pool, and she lets him touch her breasts. Brenda says she feels pursued by Neil, even though she invited him. They spend the rest of the afternoon in the water of the large, eight-lane pool. Brenda's brother Ron joins them around four o'clock. Brenda introduces him to Neil and invites Neil to dinner. Ron repeatedly swims the length of the pool.

They eat around the dining room table, served by the African-American maid...