Excerpts from Swan Lake (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Peter Cameron
- First Published: 1985
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: A summer during the 1980's
- Setting: Cheshire, Connecticut, and New York City
- Principal Characters: Paul Andrews, Neal, Mrs. Andrews
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: Memory, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Love or romance, Alienation, 1980’s, Grandparents or grandchildren, Old age or elderly people, Ballet or ballet dancers, Dinners or dining
- Locales: New York, NY, Cheshire, CT
The Story
Paul and his lover Neal prepare dinner for Paul's grandmother in the suburban Connecticut home of Paul's parents. Paul and Neal have moved out of their New York apartment for the summer in order to take care of Mrs. Andrews while Paul's parents cruise around the world. They are interrupted in their work by a visit from a representative from Meals on Wheels—a woman whom Paul calls “Gloria Marsupial” because of his uncertainty about how to pronounce her name. The social services volunteer is disconcerted when Paul answers the door wielding a knife and when she...
[The entire page is 1426 words long]
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