Lo had one room in a house not too far from the bus routes. Lily walked slowly. She had acted impulsively. When she first put the idea to Husband she had been expecting resistance or at least an explanation why she shouldn't go. She had been using Husband as a safety net and his easy compliance was disappointing. He had failed, betrayed her by agreeing with her. It was his function to oppose, part of the natural order of things, the cycle of constant fruitful opposites. She felt this in her heart, and was hurt. If she fell, so to speak, if there was embarrassment, loss of face, it would be his fault (45).
