The Rivalry Between Husband and Lover

This conflict flow traces the hundred small confrontations and the final silent agreement between the narrator's husband and the radiologist.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Motorcycle at the Gate

The Motorcycle at the Gate Context The husband notices the radiologist's motorcycle passing the house every day. The narrator pretends not to know what he wants. Turn The husband says he has his suspicions too, and next time he will ask the man himself. The narrator's back is already turned, but she feels his gaze like a kitchen knife on her throat. Aftermath The motorcycle becomes an object of grievance before the affair is even spoken aloud. The husband is measuring himself against a rival he cannot name.

The Dream Interrogation

The Dream Interrogation Context The husband presents his dream as evidence, and the narrator responds with denial. He says he will go out and ask the motorcycle rider himself. Turn She refuses to name the lover, thinking that the man entered her like a snake enters a crocodile's mouth. The husband's black hair has already poisoned her with guilt. Aftermath The interrogation produces no confession, but it hardens the two men into enemies. The husband knows, and the narrator knows he knows.

The Unanswered Calls

The Unanswered Calls Context The narrator waits by the side of the road with a suitcase, hoping for a call from the radiologist. The motorcycle never passes, and the mobile phone burns her hand all day. Turn She confuses the sounds of the main road with her vibrating phone. The husband comes looking for her when it is too late to see, whistling a tune of victory. Aftermath The rivalry is partly fought in the narrator's own longing. The husband wins the practical battle, but the lover still occupies her mind.

The Confrontation in the Fields

The Confrontation in the Fields Context The husband arrives on a motorcycle too small for him and faces the radiologist in the open fields. The narrator watches the two men from a distance, calling them her bulls, stallions and pawns. Turn Mother and daughter appear at the window, one paler than the other. The two men stop shouting and begin to talk like long-lost brothers. Aftermath The confrontation bypasses the narrator completely. The men no longer need her to settle the question of her life.

The Agreement

The Agreement Context The two men step to the side, nod their heads and reach an agreement without raising their voices. One yawns, the other laughs. Turn The narrator trembles, wondering which of them will choose her. A cough tells her it is her husband, the most loyal of the two. Aftermath The rivalry ends not in violence but in a masculine compact. The husband takes her home, and the radiologist keeps his family and his unborn twins.

after the first kiss, when the radiologist begins driving by

during the fight over the condoms

a day when the narrator stands by the road waiting

near the ending, after the narrator flees to the radiologist's house

the same evening, as dusk falls