The morning after the Salinger family dinner was, for David, an exercise in emotional bankruptcy. He had returned to his parents’ house after Louise had calmly finished his expensive steak and Château Margaux, only to find Ella in a state of high-drama theatrics, swearing Louise was a gold-digging harlot who was actively trying to seduce Robert. David had spent four painful hours defending Louise—less out of loyalty, and more out of pride that he had tamed the harlot—and had received a stern lecture on the necessity of budgeting for the upcoming wedding.
He returned to the apartment well after midnight, exhausted and self-pitying, and collapsed into bed without so much as a grunt.
Louise, by contrast, woke up Monday morning feeling light, refreshed, and entirely unconcerned by the shallo
