House of Sand and Fog

Lester leaves the hotel room to get food as Kathy lies in bed, comparing him to Nick and finally admitting to herself that her ex-husband is gone for good. When Lester returns, they eat, he tends to her foot, and they have sex again. As Lester showers, Kathy wonders “how he would explain getting home so late to his wife” (99), which makes her feel a bit guilty.

After work the next day Lester tells Kathy he wants to meet up at the diner the following morning. He confesses that he was afraid Kathy would forget about him if he didn’t see her again, and she playfully assures him that he has nothing to worry about. He drops her off at the hotel, and Kathy decides to call Connie.

Wearing his finest suit, Behrani drives into San Francisco to see Connie and, on his way there, is disgusted by the excessive, morally lax lifestyles he observes Americans exhibiting all around him: “This is the sort of freedom I will never understand” (103). Behrani meets with Connie, who explains the situation and asks him to sell the house back to the county, so it can be returned to Kathy. Behrani says he will be happy to sell the house, but only at its market value. Connie tries to get him to sympathize with Kathy’s situation, but he responds by saying “I am the rightful owner of this property. I am being wronged” (104) before leaving the lawyer’s office.

Kathy spends the day relaxing her hurt foot by the hotel pool after hearing about Connie’s meeting with Behrani. However, the lawyer bent the truth by telling Kathy that Behrani is willing to sell the house to the county. Kathy sensed Connie’s evasiveness but remains optimistic. Lester arrives and says he wants to take Kathy on a date. She tells him that the family living in the house has agreed to sell to the county, which Lester says is cause for celebration. He returns to his car while Kathy prepares for the date. Kathy recalls the last time she slept with a married man, who was a patron at the bar she tended while at the height of her addiction.

Behrani’s family is preparing to host a lavish dinner for his daughter, her husband, and his family. Nadi is hard at work cooking and cleaning well over a day in advance. Behrani explains he went to see a lawyer, who assured him the house is legally his and that he has nothing to worry about. Although Behrani is happy his family has grown closer and the listings in the paper have already attracted two potential buyers, he notes Nadi displaying a photograph of himself with General Pourat and the king of Iran. Behrani recognizes that his social status significantly decreased when he moved his family to America, and he understands Nadi’s desire to assure their son-in-law’s family that their background makes Soraya a suitable match for their son.

Lester takes Kathy to an expensive restaurant overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Kathy senses that Lester wants a drink and tells him to go ahead, explaining that alcohol has never been a major temptation but a secondary addiction. She asks if he’s ever done anything illegal, and he reveals once he planted drugs he stole from the evidence locker in the home of a suspected domestic abuser to ensure his arrest. His partner thought the wife enjoyed being beaten, but Lester couldn’t stand by and allow her to be hurt despite his partner’s doubt. Kathy approves of his intervention.

They order dinner as well as a bottle of wine. Lester pours Kathy a glass; reasoning that she’s never had a problem with drinking, Kathy lets him talk her into drinking it. While she consciously recognizes that she “should be looking at this whole dinner as” (115) a temptation to drink, she enjoys Lester’s company far too much to feel bad. The date goes wonderfully as Lester shares stories about his childhood growing up in a small town along the Mexican border.

Driving back from dinner, Kathy asks Lester about his wife. Though he cares for her a great deal, Lester says he loves her “[like] a sister” (117). When they return to the hotel, Kathy tells Lester about her childhood and family life.

The next day, after Lester returns to his family, Kathy receives a call from Connie’s receptionist, who says that the county has admitted its mistake—it was sending tax bills to the wrong address all along—and is willing to rescind the sale. After work Lester goes to the motel, and the two eat pizza and split a couple bottles of wine to celebrate.

They awake hungover, and Lester notes that it is two hours past when he was supposed to be home. Realizing that his wife will have called the station, which will have told her he’s supposed to be home sick, Lester decides it is time for him to end his marriage. He leaves, telling Kathy he feels free. She receives a call from Connie, who says Kathy had better come to her office.