Jean pulls the door closed so quietly she can't be sure the latch will hold, but she hazards a release of the handle. It clicks. She breathes in place for a moment, listening at the door, to be sure her daughter stays asleep.
John is already in their bed. Though the room is dark, she understands by the sense of fullness in the room that he is there. She undresses to get in to bed. She clenches her stomach in preparation for the temptations that have the good decency now to arrive only in still, silent moments, when she is alone.
One of her characters appears and stands obediently next to the bed in the dark. Jean feels the character's resentment. It itches.
Tonight, Jean's visitor is Abigail. Abigail has found the secret library underneath the brothel, tended to by the girls as they collect the wisdom withheld from them in 1-hour portions. She has known for months now of the library, but Jean won't go with her long enough to explore it. The questions burn. At the very least, what is possible to contain in a place like this.
Abigail taps her foot and pleads with Jean, but it goes unanswered. Jean thinks instead of the needs of the four corners of the house. She thinks of how this is a reality she can touch, that others can see as she tends it. She thinks of the child who seems so independent but who must still be looking to her mother for clues on how to build an idea of this reality. She must not let the boundaries thin, not right now.
Jean turns over to dismiss Abigail and the library. But Abigail is angry. She has let Jean decide her fate for too long. She reaches inside Jean, and twists.
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