Chapter Ten
Small matters drove a wedge between Emerson and his wife. Anyone looking with fresh eyes on the situation could have guessed that the tension among all six of them was mounting. The repartee between writers had virtually ceased—no one had written a word, or even attempted to work on their craft for nearly ten days. The gaiety they sometimes shared, even the invigorating arguments ceased. Everyone retreated to their own worlds to brood. Penelope, Kathy Ann and Bo would go into town to eat, or sometimes drive back to the city for a day. Oddly they felt forced by the circumstances to return, when returning only meant that they’d be thrown back into the uncomfortable environment of their dark desires.
While the others certainly shared in the disquieting malaise, the increasing a
