The Technically True Story

Summary

• Tova cleanses a rusty key, which still fits in her front door, and discards the spare key that occasionally jams in the lock.
• She is disturbed by a cat entering her home through a loose flap in her screen door, considering it another minor repair needed since the passing of her husband, Will.
• At the aquarium where she works, Tova begins her usual preparations of greeting the marine life and readying her mop and bucket
• She feels relieved to see no clamps on the tank of Marcellus, the octopus, and decides not to fix her screen door at home.
• Tova climbs a step stool to interact with Marcellus, initiating a conversation about her personal life, her son's Erik’s accident, and her past conflicts.
• She falls off the unstable stool while cleaning, hurting her ankle and breaking the stool. She debates about revealing her accident to Terry, her superior.
• Marcellus escapes from its tank, fetches a screw Tova needs to repair the stool, and then returns to the tank.
• The next morning, Tova notices her swollen ankle and grudgingly calls Dr. Remy. Following advice to rest her foot, she also calls Terry to notify him that she won’t be able to come to work due to her injury.
• This is the first time in her life that Tova has called out of work.