Summary

"A Temporary Matter" traces the deterioration of a marriage. Over the course of 1 week, during which the husband believes a chance exists to rekindle their love, Shukumar recalls the problems that have caused changes in the way that he and his wife relate to each other.

At the beginning of the story, Shukumar and his wife, Shoba, receive a notice from the electric company telling them that their electricity will be shut off every day for an hour during a 5-day period. The notice calls this a "temporary" problem that will allow the electric company to repair the power lines that went down during the last snowstorm in March. Each night, the electricity will be turned off from eight to nine o'clock. The couple realizes that the repair period will begin that night. Shoba tells her husband that it's a good...