Summary

In “Two Square Feet,” after the narrator’s mother-in-law tells her a story, she sends the narrator out for aspirin. The narrator wants to stop thinking about the story, but the apartment is so small and cluttered, she cannot. Her mother-in-law has “a Christmas tree over the fireplace” (144). Its artificial branches and decorations remind the narrator of her mother, with whom she has not spoken recently.

The narrator finds the nearest pharmacy, but it is closed. Because she and her husband Mariano recently moved to Spain, the narrator is unfamiliar with the neighborhood. Before they moved, the narrator’s mother helped her pack. She repeatedly asked why they were moving, but the narrator “couldn’t answer” (145). The boxes are now in storage. The narrator knows there is aspirin in one box.

Before leaving, her mother-in-law told her about...