The Suite in Clarksville

The story “Eula” switches back and forth between the past and the present, and the entire present timeline takes place in a suite Caroletta has booked in the town of Clarksville for Eula and herself to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The location of the suite is significant in that Caroletta mentions that it is two towns over, which implies that they are trying to avoid being seen. Caroletta and Eula are meeting in part to have sex, which they have done before. They have been best friends for decades, but the exact nature of their relationship is unclear; Caroletta seems to desire more from their connection, but Eula does not place the same importance on it that she does. The suite is representative of common ground between the two, but because this common ground does not exist in their outside lives, the time they...