In the Midst of Winter

It has been several months since Lucia, a sixty-two-year-old woman from Santiago, Chile, has come to the U.S. to teach at New York University as a visiting professor in the Latin and Caribbean Studies department. She lives in a basement apartment in Brooklyn, New York that belongs to her boss, another academic in her department named Richard Bowmaster.

When a severe snowstorm hits New York City, Lucia feels lonely and trapped inside her basement apartment. She calls Richard to tell him that she is “scared” (4) of the storm, but he dismisses her worries. When she invites him to keep her company, he seems reluctant. She bids him goodnight. When they hang up, she thinks about how she had imagined that their relationship might turn romantic given that they kept correspondence for many years. Richard’s coldness makes it seem as if he is disinterested. This reminds Lucia of her relationships following her divorce, especially one named Julian whom she had broken up with because he could not commit to her. She thinks about her daughter Daniela, who advises her to date freely.

As Daniela is in love and studying marine biology in Miami, Lucia knows that her daughter will likely stay in the U.