Luster

In the weeks after their encounter in the basement, Eric and Edie wait until Rebecca and Akila are out of the house to “trip over ourselves while we undress, the contact tenuous and inexact, kisses spoiled by fervor, full of air and teeth and always off the intended mark” (169). They grow more uncareful and soon destroy a crystal centerpiece. Rebecca does not seem to believe Eric’s explanation and “says there is a shard in her foot, and she talks about it for a week” (170). Edie notices “Rebecca reassessing my presence in their house” (171). She continues to collect the money anonymously left on her dresser and buys more art supplies before depositing the rest. Edie considers asking Eric if he is the one paying her but decides not to as she realizes, “I hope it’s coming from Rebecca” (172).

Rebecca works late nights at the morgue. Edie helps Akila prepare a costume for Comic-Con. As they prepare, Eric confesses to Edie that “he needs this to be perfect. He says that Rebecca didn’t want to adopt and he wonders if Akila can feel it” (177). Rebecca loses her wedding ring and requests a new expensive one from Eric.

A few days later, Eric books a hotel room for himself and Edie, but he is in a bad mood and unable to perform sexually. They continue to make mistakes, including when Eric calls her baby in front of Rebecca. The day after this incident, Edie returns home from a secret lunch with Eric and finds Rebecca working in her garden. Rebecca confesses that she has seen Edie’s paintings. When Edie asks her what she thinks, Rebecca replies, “I think they need work” (183). Later that night, Edie decides to “look through the paintings and hate myself” (183). She is struggling once again to create a self-portrait when she realizes that her last period began 62 days ago.

Edie begins to feel sick. One night, Rebecca comes into her room and tells her to get dressed. She takes Edie to her hospital and, out of her locker, “brings out an easel, a blank canvas, a steel palette, three paintbrushes, a palette knife, and some yellow, magenta, and cyan” (185). Rebecca begins to work on a cadaver as she urges Edie to paint the gruesome scene. They return to the hospital, and Edie continues to work on her painting. One night, on their way home from the hospital, Rebecca tells Edie, “The painting of your mother is your best one” (189). Edie recalls her mother’s last days before committing suicide and how she “saw clearly her desire to die” (189).

The next day, Edie and Eric check into a hotel. They drink and have sex. Edie heads to the gym, and when she returns, she finds Eric collapsed and unresponsive (191). Eric is taken to the hospital, and Edie calls Rebecca, who “won’t look at me” (191). Eric is diagnosed with syncope, a drop in blood pressure. They return home, and Rebecca informs Edie that she has a month to leave.