Summary

George does not want to be thought of as a martyr because he is giving up his life to take care of his mother. He thinks that he has had a full life and is not really interested in gay marriage although he has had several loves. George temporarily considers keeping a stray dog that has shown up at the house. The idea of connecting to another living creature is intriguing although George is not sure it is the responsible thing to do since George will not be in Paris very long.

Every day after lunch, George and Betty take a walk in the neighborhood. George is pained to see that a tree that his father had planted in their yard 40 years ago is dying from some disease. George is saddened not just for the loss of the tree, but the loss of his...