When Life Gives You Lululemons

Emily takes Miriam out shopping for a new birthday dress—she and Paul are spending the night at a hotel while Emily stays home with their children. Over dinner, Miriam gets annoyed and interrogates Paul about poker night at Eric’s. Paul is defensive, insisting she has nothing to worry about. Miriam feels even more disappointed when Paul indicates that he’s too tired to go anywhere else after dinner. Back in their room, she suggests they have sex; Paul gets in the shower first. Miriam lays out the sex canvas in the meantime, but Paul falls asleep. Determined to have a good birthday, she wakes him up, straddles him, and they have fast, anticlimactic sex.

Karolina and Emily attend a Pilates class. Afterward, they get coffee and discuss Emily’s plans to reinvent Karolina. Emily thinks Karolina needs a more maternal look, suggesting she cut her hair, gain a few pounds, and dress differently. She also underscores the importance of attending a short rehabilitation program. Karolina feels “helpless and alone” (162), but she agrees because of Harry. Then Emily presses her for dirt on Graham. Karolina has one secret, but she withholds it from Emily for fear of ruining both Graham and Harry.