Part 5 Summary

Elizabeth runs into her old friend Alex on the street in New York, and writes about it to her friend "M." Alex is a perennial bachelor, the kind of man who puts a lot of effort into looking good, and is very handsome. Alex has spent his entire adult life cultivating the lifestyle of the attractive bachelor, dating many women, but always letting them know that they are not the only one. Elizabeth herself has slept with him a few times, and is intimidated by his sexual prowess. She thinks about other bachelors she has known, some of whom were gay, and how they have cheated the status quo a little bit, by getting to live selfishly, in their own apartments, doing what they want and not worrying about how the wife will feel about things. Many wealthy older women become Alex's girlfriends...