Artigo Revisado por pares

Falls

2010; Oxford University Press; Volume: 17; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/isle/isq007

ISSN

1759-1090

Autores

Joanne Parker,

Tópico(s)

Cultural Studies and Interdisciplinary Research

Resumo

Chris and Robert live in a white house with a white picket fence. Robert is retired, and every morning he gets up around ten o'clock, opens a can of frappuccino, goes into the living room, and sits at the computer to check his stocks. At about ten thirty Chris goes in and stands behind his chair with her hands on his shoulders. They have potted plants all along the front of the big picture window in the room, which Chris waters after standing behind Robert. They're amazingly healthy plants. The light comes into the room all dark and luminous like stained glass in a green cathedral. Then they go and have their showers. Robert wasn't happy with the water pressure in the house when he bought it, so he re-tapped the water main, and if you turn it all the way up, it pounds you like a masseuse. I know it shouldn't mean anything, but Chris has never dated a millionaire before. And I know this is petty, but every time I look at Robert something goes “Millionaire. Millionaire. Millionaire.” It's not like I can't get past the fact. I get past it, and then there it is again. Every time. I've read that in America four new people become millionaires every day. People who have never been millionaires before. After living with a millionaire for a week you realize that you tend to give him more slack than you would someone without a million dollars. When he's talking you look at his eyes, and then at his eyebrow and the way his glasses fog as they push up against it after he's been jogging, and then you're like, “Oh, but he's a millionaire.” And then you start to wonder about yourself.

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