Summary

Ester remembers when she first met Bernard. She was twenty one and wore a platinum blonde pixie cut, and had been going through a stilettos phase. She was dating Bernard's brother, Conrad, and had been welcomed to the family by their mother, Ida. Being in Ida's kitchen made Ester remember cooking with Ida, the "au pair" or domestic assistant who took care of her while her mother was away traveling for the toiletries company (72). Ida told Ester that she had been pregnant with Bernard before she had been married to his father, and Ester told Ida about being pregnant once by a married man, but changed her mind about having the baby (73). Ester admits that she is unsure whether she wants children, but Ida consoles her by saying that she is still young.

On an engagement day part with Conrad, Ester opens the door...