“It was a wife’s worst nightmare.”

This is the first sentence of the short story and sets up the parallel of the two affairs. It is deliberately ironic in that it could be applied equally to the affair Laxmi is referring to and to Miranda’s affair with Dev. The story follows Miranda’s attempts to keep the two affairs separate in order to deny her confliction about her own behavior.

“He seemed to be lingering, waiting, along with the saleswoman, for her to say something. She stared at some bottles, some short, others tall, arranged on an oval tray, like a family posing for a photograph.”

The image of the set bottles as a family grouping prefigures Dev’s status as a married man, and the family breakup that the story explores. Miranda does not know at this point that he is married and the family imagery suggests that part of her escapist experience at Filene’s and attraction to Dev is to do with imagining herself as an older, wealthier, married woman.

“‘They’re for my wife.’ He uttered the words slowly, holding Miranda’s gaze. ‘She’s going to India for a few weeks.”

Dev is clear with Miranda from the beginning that he is married and his deliberate calmness suggests that he feels little guilt about pursuing her. By telling Miranda that his wife is going away, he is letting her know that there is a temporary vacancy. He seems to be practiced at infidelity and knows what to expect.