Chapter 7 Summary

Jeff finds himself in a movie theater, watching The Birds. Judy Gordon sits next to him, clutching his arm. It's 1963 again. After the movie, Judy questions Jeff about his strange behavior. Jeff has just lost a whole lifetime, and worse than that, Gretchen has never even been born. Not really knowing why, Jeff goes to his old boarding school. The school is dim in his memory now. It's a place he's never replayed. He visits a bridge there that's a reminder of shame and guilt.

Jeff's first year at the school, he fell in love with his French teacher, Deirdre Rendell. Then, she became pregnant. Once the baby was born, Deirdre's love for her husband was palpable, seeing the young family together. Jeff's fantasies are dashed. Deirdre's husband built her a bridge over a small stream, so she could walk to and from...