Once we made a pact… if things weren’t okay by 1976 we were going to have a shoot-out at the end of the Marina. You didn’t trust me, said I would shoot you first and run, or shoot myself first, whatever. I’m tired of the bargain, Ter.
"A Manual for Cleaning Women" is from the collection of the same title by Lucia Berlin. An amazing writer.
Some things to look at in this story:
Point of view
Notice how firmly we're located in the POV of this narrator, following her train of thought.
Backstory
Notice how the "now" of the story is organized (bus trips) and how moments in the present spark specific memories/thoughts about the past.
Notice how our understanding of the past (relationship with Ter) grows a bit each time it's touched on.
Arc
Also pay attention to the arc of the "now" story. At first glance this may look like a random listing of bus trips, but something is changing inside the narrator. She is in a different place emotionally by the end from where she was at the beginning. What has changed?
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