Tales of the City

Norman leaves and spends the afternoon exploring book stores. He strikes up a conversation with the owner of a “dusty hole-in-the-wall” (182) previously owned by Mrs. Madrigal. By lying, he gets the man to reveal that she lived in Denmark at one time, which might be “‘where she picked up her funny customs’” (183).

Mona and D’orothea pass Norman after he leaves, but he does not recognize her. The two women have coffee, and D’orothea reveals that she has heard Mona lost her job. D’orothea is “‘finished with New York’” (183) and tells Mona that she wants her back. 

Mona and Michael take a walk by the bay. She confesses that she “‘gave up a long time ago’” (185) and that she admires Michael’s optimism. Eventually, he manages to elicit information from her: Mona is thinking of moving out. D’orothea wants Mona to move in with her, but Mona is scant about the details. As they walk further, Michael guesses that D’orothea was Mona’s lover. As he teases her, she makes a remark about the rent. Michael cries. 

DeDe visits the gynecologist, Jon, who quizzes her and asks after Binky, who he hasn’t seen “‘since the film festival’” (188). With a smile, he tells DeDe, “‘You’re going to be a mother, Mrs. Day’” (188). DeDe leaves, debating how to move forward. 

DeDe’s mother stares at her, “stupefied” (189). They are discussing the dog, who is sick and has six months to live. Later, Frannie has lunch with a friend and talks about her sick dog. 

Michael spends a lot of time away from the city while his parents visit. He hopes to “protect their fragile, Reader’s Digest sensibilities from the horror of The Love That Dares Not Speak Its Name” (191). He tells them that Mona has moved out and freezes when they find the “small brown bottle” (191) in his refrigerator. His mother insists on cleaning. When they go to dinner, a group of six men dressed as nuns pass by on roller-skates. Before they pass, one compliments Michael’s jockey shorts. 

Mary Ann and Norman drive past Michael and his parents, and she encourages him to beep the car horn. While they take Lexy trick-or-treating, Norman confesses that he was married once, but his wife “‘ran off with a ceramic-tile salesman from Daly City’” (194) while he was serving in Vietnam. Lexy returns with an apple, and after she bites into it, says that she “‘already checked it for razor blades’” (194). 

Michael takes his parents to dinner at the “straightest place he could think of” (195). As his father complains about the people “‘making a goddamn fool’” (195) of themselves, the waiter rolls his eyes and winks at Michael. At the apartment, Michael’s mother recounts the gossip from Orlando while his father beams “at his son in open affection” (195). They offer to help him with money (he refuses), and they remind him that they miss him and are proud of him. 

DeDe phones Beauchamp at work to remind him that they are attending an event that evening. When he hangs up, he winks at D’orothea, who is unimpressed. At the event, DeDe and Beauchamp chat to Binky. When Beauchamp leaves to get them drinks, Binky demands to know about the doctor’s appointment. She promises DeDe that she knows “‘a good abortion man, if you need one’” (198). DeDe reveals that the baby may be a different race and breaks down into tears. Later, she is stopped by the newspaper’s gossip columnist, Carson Callas.  

Michael is summoned by Mrs. Madrigal. They discuss Mona’s departure, and Mrs. Madrigal wants the details of the person who coaxed Mona out of the building. She asks Michael whether Mona and this person are “‘special friends’” (201), but Michael does not know. Mrs. Madrigal asks whether Mona ever “said anything to you about me?” (201). Michael accidentally uses the past tense, and Mrs. Madrigal invites him to stay. As they talk, she begins to cry. 

Carson Callas, a “rat-faced man in [a] safari suit” (202), corners DeDe. She is worried about what he wants to ask her about, so is happy to talk about societal happenings. He makes a pointed comment about DeDe’s “‘fun’” (203) evenings. When she tries to extricate herself from the conversation, he asks whether she is “‘going to have the abortion before or after’” (203) an upcoming event. DeDe drops her glass. As Carson slips away, DeDe blames Binky’s lack of discretion. 

Brian wakes up after a long shift and finds himself very hungry. It is five in the morning, so he decides to head out for food. He flirts with the waitress at an all-night burger restaurant, and they meet up after her shift. As they sit in her car, she tells Brian that she would rather make the longer drive to her home. Though he complains, he eventually accepts, and they drive away.