Bright Lights, Big City

One morning, the narrator finds himself waiting at the entrance of the Waldorf-Astoria’s ballroom. An Italian fashion designer will soon debut his fall line. The narrator got the invitation from a friend at Vogue who crashed his Austin Healey into a large deer out in Westchester. The narrator got the insurance money from the accident and spent it in two weeks. The narrator introduces himself to the woman scrutinizing his invitation as Mr. Allagash. She lets him in. Once inside, he finds the bar. He orders two vodkas on the rocks—the other, he says, is for his date. He sees a briefcase beside the bar and steals it.

As the show starts, people take their seats. The narrator takes one near the runway, “in the middle of a middle row” (121). A woman in a pink gown walks to a lectern at the edge of the runway to introduce the show. The narrator goes back out to the bar, which is supposed to be closed until the next show. The bartender makes an exception after the narrator hands him a ten-dollar bill. The narrator mentions all the jewelry that people in the crowd are wearing and the relative lack of security. He says that his girlfriend was worried about her necklace and tells the bartender that he should take her a drink, too. He then winks at the bartender, saying that his girlfriend’s husband would be upset if she returned home without her jewels. He wondered why he was talking like this. He returned to his seat.

During the show, Amanda is the third model to walk out onto the runway. The narrator wonders if it’s truly her. When she disappears, he clutches his seat in anticipation of her next appearance. He decides that he’ll confront her. If anyone tries to stop him, he’ll claim that the stolen briefcase contains explosives. Amanda, or someone who looks like her, emerges. He calls out her name, but the woman keeps walking. When she reaches the section of the runway that is nearest to his seat, she gives him a cold look. People turn to stare at the narrator and tell him to sit down. A news photographer takes his picture. Then, two large men in suits hurry down the aisles toward his seat. One takes his arm and leads him out. Before throwing him out the door, they warn him not to return.

That night, the narrator goes back to the Department of Factual Verification to gather his belongings. When he emerges from the elevator on his floor, he sees the Ghost, who expresses his regret over the narrator’s departure. He also offers to give the narrator a reference. When he arrives at the office, he sees that Megan is the only one there, working. She reminds him of their lunch date. He apologizes for forgetting, and she reminds him that he’s always apologizing.

The narrator opens one of his drawers and finds a packet of cocaine. He carves out two lines on his desk and offers them both to Megan who accepts the gift. After snorting the lines, she mentions that Rittenhouse found Alex “passed out on the floor of Clara’s office” that morning (131). The narrator asks if Alex hurt himself when he fell. Megan mentioned that there was no indication of injury, despite the blood on the walls and floor of Clara’s office. When Alex came to, he mentioned “being attacked by pygmies” (131). Then, the staff found a mink in the mailroom, hiding in a bag of rejected manuscripts. When the mail carrier lifted the bag, the mink jumped out and bit him. Someone called the ASPCA to get the animal.

The narrator opens his drawers, pulls them out of his former desk, and dumps the contents into the wastebasket. After he finishes, he invites Megan out to eat. Instead of going to a restaurant, she invites him to her apartment, where she’ll cook. Her purpose is to teach the narrator how to shop for and prepare a meal. First, they go shopping for linguine, canned clams, bread, and tomatoes—all at different shops in the West Village. When Megan and the narrator enter her apartment, her cats are waiting at the door. The studio in which she lives isn’t large, but it’s well-furnished. When Megan goes over to her wardrobe to change into a silk shirt, the narrator notices her shapely behind. He realizes that, moments ago, they were colleagues. Now, they are “a man and a woman alone in a room with a bed” (136).

Looking around the room, the narrator sees photos from Megan’s days as an actress and another of her son fishing near a cabin in the woods. She tells the story of how the boy ended up living in northern Michigan with his father, which leads to another story about Megan being committed due to bipolar disorder. While passing the narrator some cloves of garlic to peel, she notices his bandaged hand and asks what happened. He lies and says that he slammed it in a door. Megan shows him how to sautée the garlic and asks him to open the can of clams. She does most of the cooking and moves the narrator when he gets in her way. He enjoys the feeling of her hands on his shoulders. Over salad, Megan asks the narrator about Amanda. He asks if he can open another bottle of wine before telling Megan the story of Amanda’s departure. Megan thinks that Amanda sounds confused. After dinner, they move to the sofa. The narrator asks to use her bathroom. Once inside, he opens the medicine cabinet and finds a bottle of Valium. He takes two and replaces the bottle.

When the narrator exits the bathroom, he asks Megan if she’d like more wine. She refuses and asks if he’s writing. He says that he’s been working on some things. She encourages him, saying that she’d like to see him walk back into the magazine and pick up a check from the Fiction Department. In the meantime, she asks if he has any job prospects. He lies and says that he has a few leads. She offers to put in a good word at Harper & Row. Clara, she says, has agreed to give him a good recommendation. Finally, Megan offers to assist him with a loan, if he needs it. She then shifts and asks how his father is doing. The narrator says that he’s fine and pulls Megan toward him to kiss her. She turns away. When he reaches a hand under her shirt, she stops him. She insists that this isn’t what he wants. In a gesture of agreement, the narrator rests his head in her lap. She strokes his hair. When he gets up, he feels woozy and goes to the bathroom. He collapses into the tub, which is where Megan finds him.