Annabelle and Colette each invited four playmates. They chose freeze dance, freeze dance, and more freeze dance as the main game. And for lunch hamburgers with lots of ketchup. Kevin’s mother Rebecca arrived before the party with two pink leotards, matching tutus, and magic wands filled with sparkles. After helping them change into magical fairies, Rebecca told them, “Don’t point your wands at people. Use them only when necessary.” [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the pr... Read Full Story

Jeanne hoped her intimacy with Patrice would inoculate her from ever succumbing to Kevin. Wearing sunglasses, the mothers swayed waist deep in the O’Meara’s swimming pool and watched the toddlers float, water wings on their little arms. Half-hypnotized, Jeanne talked about marrying Paul because his love had seemed friendly and safe. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] At the end he wasn’t so friendly. “After Colette was born he was more about making rules... Read Full Story

For several weeks, Kevin did wait in the shadows, as promised. Because there was no other way. [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Jeanne adjusted to her new life, working nights at the 911 facility so immediately and thoroughly that after a week the routine felt permanent. She might have always read to Colette after dinner and waited for Giselle the babysitter who arrived at eight p.m. And soon after that, always, she drove past the O’Meara’s house to th... Read Full Story

When Edward and his family finally arrived, the receptionist said Mrs. Nesbitt would receive them in hour. As always, the family waited at the McDonald’s across the highway. The nursing staff refused to prepare residents before guests arrived, because getting the elderly patients cleaned up, dressed, coiffed, and settled involved strenuous maneuvering. And often the expected visitors failed to show up. Inside the grimy franchise across the highway, Edward’s wife Amy conceded that McDonald’s c... Read Full Story

The sporting goods store in Chicago fired Quinn after three months; not only was he uninterested in fishing and rock climbing but he hung around listening to his iPod and paid no attention to the customers. Quinn’s best friend Winston had dropped out of college downstate to live in a trailer and work on an assembly line. They hadn’t seen each other in months when Winston phoned. “I have two words for you, Quinn: sky diving.” Having joined an aviation club, he whistled. “You gotta try it.” “I ... Read Full Story

Before going to college, Sophie suggested her parents take up jogging. “Run outside together. Wearing bright outfits. Nobody will suspect money’s tight.” But social tricks that worked in Oklahoma only intensified her loneliness in Chicago. The university was huge. Nobody talked to her. Sophie might be invisible. A straight-A student on scholarship, she watched videos in lecture halls. Afterwards the teacher called for questions. Sophie always raised her hand, which went unnoticed. Thank goodn... Read Full Story

My sister who lives in Champaign, Illinois has invited me to visit. She's an equestrian and I'll attend a few horse-back riding events. Monday she and her husband and son and I are driving to Chicago where we'll see my other sister, her husband, and my niece. Of course, my parents will be there and will no doubt take us all to a fancy restaurant. Meanwhile, Manny's visiting his parents, also in Chicago. We may see each other in passing, but probably not. While I'm away, I will yet again post ... Read Full Story

Patrice and Annabelle presented buoyancy, and Jeanne and Colette reacted in kind. The little girls ate two bites of their quarter sandwiches and ran off to jump on a springy platform. Their mothers called them back. “Drink a little more milk.” [Click here to read the first episode, or here to read the previous one.] Patrice O’Meara’s voice carried a soft, intrinsic music. As she and Jeanne ate chicken salad, she asked, “Do you think it’s enough to aim for solid contentment? Or, should we hold... Read Full Story

Unable to sleep, Jeanne decided her desire was worse than her grief. Kevin made her desperate, and that wasn’t even considering the complication of him being married. He smiled and she… Jeanne rose to get her headphones in the living room. She had downloaded a Billie Holiday song last year. “…Don’t smile or I’ll be lost beyond recall…” Too bad she couldn’t sing. And even if she could, she couldn’t just start singing about: “The kiss in your eyes and touch of your hand…” Her need seemed psycho... Read Full Story

Jeanne and Colette looked in the cupboards. The kitchen contained pots, pans, flatware, dishes, a pitcher and tall glasses. The laundry room, which also stored gardening supplies, opened into the backyard. Jeanne swung Colette in the hammock a few minutes. Inside again, they spent a while in each room and Jeanne imagined for Colette how their life would run day to day—in Colette’s bedroom and Jeanne’s with dimity curtains on the window; the things they would cook and eat (“We’ll need to buy c... Read Full Story