House of Sand and Fog

Behrani drinks champagne left over from his celebration with Nadi as he ponders the appearance of the young woman claiming to be the prior owner. He checks his mail and discovers Connie Walsh has sent him a letter informing him that she and her client expect Behrani to vacate the property as soon as possible. Behrani is enraged, feeling he is being done a great injustice since, in his mind, “a sale is a sale” (96). He does his best to conceal his anger from Nadi, who detects a shift in his mood, and plans to visit Connie the following day.

Lester leaves the hotel room to get food as Kathy lies in bed, comparing him to Nick and finally admitting to herself that her ex-husband is gone for good. When Lester returns, they eat, he tends to her foot, and they have sex again. As Lester showers, Kathy wonders “how he would explain getting home so late to his wife” (99), which makes her feel a bit guilty.

After work the next day Lester tells Kathy he wants to meet up at the diner the following morning. He confesses that he was afraid Kathy would forget about him if he didn’t see her again, and she playfully assures him that he has nothing to worry about.