Annmarie

Annmarie appears only in a single, painful memory of Charles Decker's, a summer trip to Harrison State Park with his friend Joe McKennedy. She is the sister of Rosalynn, Joe's date, and Decker's own date for the day. The memory is not defined by any conversation or shared activity but by a humiliating physical collapse that Decker cannot forget.

Identity and Context

Annmarie is a pretty girl who spells her name as one word. On the day of the trip, she wore dark green corduroy shorts and a silk pullover blouse, and carried a beach bag. The outing took place in July, a warm and beautiful day with a dim, high haze in the sky. Joe McKennedy drove his old blue Mercury, which he called "De Blue Frawwwg," with the radio playing good rock 'n' roll, including Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. The atmosphere was one of casual summer pleasure, a stark contrast to the event that would define the memory for Decker.

The Incident and Its Aftermath

As they drove down Route 1 toward Bath, Decker's stomach, which he describes as "lousy," began to trouble him. He opened his mouth to say he felt sick, but instead vomited all over the floor of the car, some of it getting on Annmarie's leg. The look on her face, Decker recalls, was unforgettable. Everyone tried to make light of it, brushing it off with forced jokes, but the damage was done. Decker could not go swimming that day, his stomach feeling too bad. Annmarie sat on the blanket next to him for most of the time and got a sunburn. The girls had packed a picnic lunch, but Decker could only drink a soda, unable to eat any of the sandwiches. He was preoccupied with the thought of Joe's blue Mercury standing in the sun all day and how it would smell on the drive home, a smell he knew would be impossible to fully remove.

Narrative Role and Significance

Annmarie functions not as a developed character but as a symbol of Decker's social and psychological fragility. The memory of her and the ruined outing is a touchstone for his deep-seated anxiety and his sense of being fundamentally flawed. The incident is a precursor to his later, more catastrophic failures, such as his inability to perform sexually with Dana Collette. The memory resurfaces during the hostage crisis, when Decker is under extreme stress and the police are shouting at him through a bullhorn. The thought of the beach, the heat, and the smell of vomit in the car intrudes on his mind, a vivid reminder of his own vulnerability and the way his body betrays him at critical moments. Annmarie herself remains a silent, almost passive figure in this memory, her reaction—the look on her face—serving as a mirror for Decker's own self-disgust.