Nora Goes Off Script

by Annabel Monaghan

“What do you sleep in? A king?” “Queen,” I say in a small voice because (1) it seems like a personal question, and (2) it’s possible I was harboring a fantasy that these women thought he’d seen my bed. He picks up a set of queen-size sheets and hands them to the lady. “I bet your sheets are crap,” he says to me. When I start to object, he puts up his hand to silence me. “Just let me.” He stares me down until I nod in agreement. “What else? Do you like your coffee mugs?” “I do.” “I do too.” He wanders around collecting small items until he finds the towels. “We need new towels. Don’t even start to argue.” Which, okay. He chooses four sets of the most luxurious towels I’ve ever felt. They’re a light aqua, a perfect match to the fading tile in the kids’ bathroom. He hands them to the slightly panting lady. By the time he’s convinced me that my wine opener is “trash,” he’s got more stuff than we can carry. The ladies happily agree to deliver it all to my house. “Well, my house feels like it’s had it’s Pretty Woman moment,” I say as we head to the bookstore. “I don’t get to shop. There’s a woman Weezie hired who chooses my clothes. Someone else picked out everything in my apartment. Same for the other houses.” “That’s weird.” “It is. Like, it feels good to choose a towel color, decide which bananas look good.” “Is that what’s at the heart of this suburban crisis you’re having? You want to make choices?” Leo doesn’t answer, and I’m afraid I’ve pried. I also haven’t said “thank y...