• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Bill and Nancy Ordinary live at 21Elm Street, in Middletown, Ontario.There‘s really nothing “middle” aboutMiddletown. It isn‘t in the middle of
Chapter 1
Ontario--no, it‘s southwest of Toronto. And Middletown doesn‘t even really have amiddle. It‘s large and sprawling, with a highway on one side and railroad trackson the other. Between the highway and the railroad lie rows and rows of houses, ashopping mall, an elementary and a high school, and a children‘s playground.In fact, Middletown doesn‘t have anything special about it--no hills or valleys, noforests or sand dunes, no rivers, ponds, or lakes. But somehow it‘s a comfortable,cosy place to live.Nancy and Bill moved into their redbrick house on Elm Street ten yearsago, right after they were married.Their house has four big windowsin the front and back and two smallupstairs windows on each side. Thedoors and window frames are aspengreen; every two years, Bill givesthem a new coat of paint. Beside thedriveway is an elm tree, and thereare two apple trees in the back yard.Nancy grows roses, and tulips, anddaffodil. Bill grows tall corn and
 
baby carrots, and lots and lots of cherry tomatoes.Nancy is a small, fine-boned woman in her mid-thirties. She has mousy blondwispy hair. She has a trim physique and dresses smartly. Her good eye forfashion comes in handy with Bill.Bill is a very gentle person. He is a person who is easily made content with apurring cat on his lap in the evenings and a few tomato plants growing in hisvegetable garden.During the week, Bill and Nancy leave their home at seven-thirty in the mor-ning. Each holding a briefcase which contains a lunch Bill prepared. Thelunches contain an apple, a sandwich (tuna salad or cheese and tomato), asmall can of fruit juice, and, last but not least, a muesli bar. They drive offtogether in their blue Ford. Bill drives, while Nancy reads the Middletown Trib-une. When they arrive at the train station, Bill gets out of the car, fetches his
 
briefcase from the back seat, takes the folded newspaper from Nancy, givesher a kiss and then walks off to catch his train into the city. Nancy bucklesherself into the driver‘s seat and drives off to the nearby shopping mall. Sheruns a Young People‘s Fashion store at the mall.In the evenings, Bill sits down to read, while Nancy feeds the cat and thenwarms up their dinner. After they have eaten they do the dishes together. ThenNancy makes a quick telephone call to either her or Bill‘s mother. They sitin the living room and share a few quiet hours together. Nancy works on herembroidery or the weekly crossword puzzle. Bill prepares something for thenext day at the office. When this is done they watch television. At ten twenty-five, not a minute earlier or later, after the news program is over, they turn offthe television, put the cat out for thenight, lock up the house and go up-stairs to sleep.Their life has continued like this overthe last ten years. Little do they knowit is about to be turned topsy-turvy.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...