Summary

In Chapter 5, Hortensia reflects on how she had long believed her husband to be having an affair. To cope, she took to cleaning the cast-iron bathroom tub, trying to clean away the stains, and to clear her mind and make herself tired. She reflects on how much she loved and admired her father, Kwittel Braithwaite, and how domineering and controlling her mother, Eda, was. She reflects on how her father died of cancer a year before she finished Bailer’s Design College, and how her mother always tried to set her up with different boys. Hortensia reflects on how she and Peter dated for three years in secrecy.

In Chapter 6, Hortensia recalls wondering who Peter was having an affair with, and recalls one day following them on a walk. Now in the present, Hortensia wonders about Esme. She cannot imagine when Peter and his...