The Breeze
By Joshua Ferris, first published in The New Yorker
A New Yorker tired of the cold seeks to make the most of the year’s first spring breeze with her resistant husband.
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Sarah lives in a dark corner of New York City with her husband, Jay. When she feels the first breeze of the spring, she asks Jay if he can come home early so they can take advantage of the wonderful weather together. She drags him onto the subway and they try to have a picnic, but her indecision and his wish to see a superhero film create discord between them that they can’t quite resolve. Their contempt mounts as they wait in a long line for a hotel restaurant before giving up and eating food in a seedy Italian one. Neither of them can communicate with the other about their desires, leaving Sarah resentful and wondering if her marriage is ending. In the end, she acquiesces and they watch the superhero movie, the breeze unenjoyed by either of them.
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