The living room of the Chi Omega house looked enough like my mother’s living room to be its twin. A rose-colored sofa sat against one wall, a brocade one against another. An oriental rug was on the floor, bookcases, windows with a window seat and long brocade drapes that puddled to the floor. There were brocade tie-backs on the drapes with golden fringe. Behind the drapes hung curtains of white Belgian lace. The afternoon light filtered down through the trees outside the windows, took a turn through the lace, ended on the floor, fell down through the woolen threads some Asian hands had woven God knows where, God knows when. It was all a piece. The world was one, but I did not know that yet and certainly Stanley Mabry didn’t know it.

“So you’re from Dunleith,” he said. “Do you know the Kellers there? My brother went to school with Shine Keller. Do you know them?”

“Of course we do. But we’re not from Dunleith. My father’s family is from Aberdeen. They own Aberdeen, to tell the truth. They own the whole town.”

“Well, not all of it.”

“They do too. They own all the houses. So your father’s the lieutenant governor? I’m sorry I never heard of him. I wasn’t raised in Alabama.”

“Where were you raised?”

“In the Delta. Everywhere. I’ve lived a lot of places. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about that. So, where did you see me?” We were still standing in the middle of the living room. I sat down in the window seat. He hesitated, then drew a small armchair up beside me and sat on that. He looked very uncomfortable but he pressed on.

“I saw you at the bookstore in the Quonset hut. I told you that. I like that. I like smart girls.” He smiled, an imitation of a sweet seductive smile.

“I can’t help it if I’m smart. I’m glad I’m smart. Well, Donie said you wanted to take me out to dinner.”

“I want to take you to this steak house on the river. It’s in the country. We go there on Friday nights.”

“Who does?”

“The law students. Would you like to go?”

“I guess so. Sure, I’d like to go.” He kept his hands folded on his open knees. There was something I didn’t understand about him. I couldn’t get comfortable somehow, but I kept trying.