Summary

After having bled because of her miscarriage for 12 days, Dorothy visits her OB-GYN. She settles in to re-read her copy of Rebecca, the narration commenting that she does not have a strong memory, which becomes a handicap to her teaching. She contemplates the paint scheme in the waiting room, the music, and the state of other patients, thinking of how difficult it can be to determine what is actually going on inside a person from their outward appearance. She also contemplates how different species of animal experience motherhood, including mother seals who sometimes abandon their babies. Rog once argued that all life deserved a chance, but Dorothy “didn’t believe that everyone or everything could be rescued” (76), voicing her belief that “mothers know best” (77). As she waits, she wonders whether it is normal for her to still feel this tired, and then...