The Garden of Eden

David and Catherine return to the south of France. They rent a suite of three rooms from a couple who are pleased that anyone is visiting the town in the off-season. David works each morning in one of the rooms and, after he finishes, he joins Catherine on the beach. Catherine takes the car to shop in the nearby cities of Nice and Cannes. After an afternoon on the beach, David and Catherine lay in bed. Catherine begs David to allow her to be a boy again, and she invites him to go with her to the hairdresser. She wants David to have his hair cut just like hers. She is enthusiastic, but David does not commit to the idea. He has been writing the story of their relationship. Catherine is excited by the idea of their story being turned into a book but knows that this book is “just for us” (57).

David wakes the next day and begins to work. He writes about the journey to Madrid but stops writing when he hears Catherine’s voice in the garden.