The Rachel Incident

Rachel and James are unable to save money. As soon as they save a little, they go out to celebrate and wind up spending all the savings. They frequent a local bar where it is easy to steal drinks because people must leave drinks on the cigarette machine before they go out for a smoke. While they are there, Rachel runs into Carey. He is shocked that she is out since he thought she was broke and staying in. He feels angry and embarrassed; he told his friends Rachel is staying home. Instead of explaining the immigration plan and the fact that she struggles to say no to James, Rachel takes him home and they have sex. She tells him that she loves him, but he does not believe her. In the morning, he gets a call from his family telling him that his mother is sick. He leaves for Derry to help take care of her.

Rachel is already miserable from Carey’s departure when she receives more bad news: Ben fires her from the bookstore. He tells her that he will keep James on, but that she has a college degree and can get a real job. She calls Carey to tell him the news and he commiserates but tells her she should not come to visit. The phone runs out of credits and cuts off before they can properly say goodbye.

In a daze, Rachel walks to the Harrington-Byrnes’ house and tells them what happened. She sees them as the only people she can turn to since she is at odds with her parents, and they are adults. At first, she is resentful since Deenie does not immediately offer her a job, but with adult hindsight, she realizes that she was unable to do so and that they were doing their best to commiserate. They make her fancy drinks and the three of them get drunk in the garden. There is an awkward moment when James calls and Byrne pretends not to know him. Later, Rachel uses their phone and calls Carey, who tells her that his mother has cancer and that he will need to stay and become her caregiver. Rachel is devastated. She walks into the living room and sees the Harrington-Byrnes dancing together, looking very much in love. Leaving in a cab, she takes solace in this new adult friendship. She does not know that the relationship will soon end very badly.

Rachel gets a job at the call center. It is miserable, soul-sucking work and she is exhausted at the end of every day. Several nights a week she stays with her parents since it is closer to work. She and Carey still speak on the phone, but the relationship is more tenuous because of the distance.

One night she comes home to Shandon Street and interrupts Byrne and James, who have restarted their affair. She tells Byrne it is unfair to Deenie, and that she has seen the ovulation strips in their bathroom and knows that Deenie is trying to get pregnant. Byrne agrees that it is not fair. He explains that he loves Deenie but that their infertility has made sex more fraught for them. He also is attracted to men, but because of the period he grew up in, he has never considered a man as a serious life partner. He admits he has had other sexual encounters during his marriage but says that James is his first serious boyfriend.

After Byrne leaves, James confides in Rachel that the older man is more affectionate and emotionally open with him. He hopes that when they move, Byrne might miss him enough to leave Deenie. Rachel is skeptical. Byrne begins sending them grocery deliveries from Tesco, making sure that the two of them have enough to eat. Rachel and James are finally able to save some money and open a joint checking account. Moving seems to be possible, but Rachel will soon discover another obstacle: She is pregnant.

Deenie invites Rachel over, telling her that the book of her father’s work that Rachel helped edit is finished. She invites her to a party to celebrate its publication. At her house, she tells Rachel that she needs the book to make money since her mother does not have enough to retire on. In her youthful naivety, Rachel considers Deenie rich and does not understand why her mother might need money. Rachel is pleased that Deenie thanks her in the acknowledgments of the book and is excited about the party later that week.

Suddenly, Rachel feels nauseous. She goes to the bathroom and goes through Deenie’s cabinets. She sees a pregnancy test and takes it with a dawning realization that she might be pregnant. She steals the contents, leaving the box behind, and plans to take it at her house to make sure. Deenie drives her home, assuming Rachel has a stomach bug. Rachel is so preoccupied with worrying about her pregnancy that she does not realize Deenie is perturbed to learn where Rachel lives and seems to recognize the address.