That Summer

The narrative goes back in time and describes the day that Daisy first met Hal. In this scene, it is the summer before her senior year, and she has been dieting while living at home with her mother and working as a waitress. She dreams of working for a food magazine when she graduates and having an apartment in New York City. She and Hal go for dinner at a ramen restaurant, and while he drinks water, she has sake. She gets more intoxicated than she intends to and sleeps in the car as he drives her home. Hal tells her that he is serious about her and wants to settle down. The two kiss, and Hal asks if he can call her something other than Diana, because he once knew another Diana. She agrees, and he decides to call her Daisy.

The narrative returns to the present. Daisy returns home, still reeling from Diana’s revelation. Part of her wants to think it is a lie, while another part of her is sure it must be true. She wonders whether Danny would really have let her marry a rapist and remembers that Danny left the party early on her wedding day.