The Nanny
By Emma Cline, first published in Paris Review
In the wake of her controversial affair with a married celebrity, a young woman struggles to process the memories of their illicit relationship and the overwhelming aftermath.
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Plot Summary
Kayla is a 24-year-old ex-nanny for the celebrity couple Jessica and Rafe. She has also recently gained national notoriety as Rafe's disgraced illicit lover. After Jessica and the press discover the affair, Kayla hides from the paparazzi at a family friend's home. Mary, a late-middle-aged drug and alcohol counselor, and her boyfriend Dennis host Kayla in their home as she processes memories of the affair. Kayla internally relives conversations and scenes from Rafe's and her sex life. She feels both uncomfortable with and thrilled by the new national attention she's received. She tells herself that she's "a very special person." Mary and Dennis invite Kayla to a friend's party. At the party, Kayla wanders away from the mass and meets Sophie, the young daughter of the host. Kayla invites herself into her room. Sophie shows Kayla her doll collection. Kayla gets into Sophie's bed, and Sophie playacts as Kayla's nurse. Their play is interrupted when Dennis walks into the room, upset. He tells Kayla that Mary has been looking for her, and that they're going home. Kayla and Dennis exchange terse words and allude to Kayla's affair. They wait for Mary to bring the car around and take them home.
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