Summary

Chapter 14 (page 69) describes three different ways in which Mary and Eden met. Eden would describe how they met in high school and he was able to win her over. Mary describes how they did not date until after high school when Eden was stationed at Camp Lejeune. When asked in presence of each other, both would respond: “We’re from the same hometown” (70). The narrator believes this response closest to the truth—that they were both trying to escape a Midwestern town life, and when this novelty of running dissipated, they realized they were quite different people.

The narrator meets Mary when he came over for dinner. They shared tattoo stories, and Mary shows her small tattoo of the Andromeda constellation on the back of her neck. The narrator remembers wanting to trace those stars on her neck. Eden then stamps two cockroaches...