Chapter 12: Calvin’s Parting Gift
Summary
- In a flashback to her childhood, Elizabeth recalls an incident where she jumped off a cliff into a quarry because her brother dared her, only to be saved by him when she almost drowned.
- Elizabeth is distraught, blaming herself for an unnamed tragedy related to a leash she bought, hinting at Calvin's death.
- Elizabeth is in a state of deep mourning, unable to eat or sleep while waiting in vain for Calvin to return.
- A mortician frequently calls Elizabeth about funeral preparations, and she is in denial about Calvin's death until seeing his clothes in her closet.
- Elizabeth brings Calvin's rowing clothes to the funeral home, but the funeral director has an assistant replace them with a standard suit.
- The funeral is well-attended but some there secretly gloat over Calvin's death, seeing it as a victory.
- Elizabeth feels unable to approach the coffin for fear of trying to join Calvin in death, and a reporter tries to get her to comment, mistaking her for blind due to her non-engagement.
- Elizabeth faces judgment and lack of understanding from her colleagues and others who gossip about her relationship with Calvin.
- Elizabeth listens to the funeral proceedings but walks away with her dog, unable to bear the pain, and walks home, ignoring offers of a ride.
- Returning to work, Elizabeth finds her coworkers avoiding her and she feels out of place.
- Elizabeth enters Calvin's cleaned lab and finds a box containing personal items and a surprising engagement ring.
- Miss Frask from Personnel tells Elizabeth she cannot keep Calvin's personal items or bring her dog to work anymore, and she subtly insults Elizabeth.
- Miss Frask informs Elizabeth of extra bereavement leave but insists she takes it at home, with her dog.
- In an interaction filled with condescension and misunderstanding, Miss Frask suggests that Elizabeth will find another man to marry and stop her scientific work.
- Elizabeth is physically sick after Miss Frask implies that biology means that Calvin left her "something else," alluding to a possible pregnancy.
- Elizabeth discovers a newspaper article that paints Calvin in an unflattering light and suggests that she barely knew him, further upsetting her.