At eleven o’clock, a young girl slips into her mother’s bedroom and calls for her to wake up. Her mother rolls over lazily in bed, reluctantly opening her eyes. The room is littered with items her mother did not buy, but rather won in various contests. The girl asks her mother if she won last night, but her mother bids her bring her a slew of creams and launches into her complaints of her night. At her daughter’s continued questioning, she tells her that of course she won and that ladies do not attend dog races to lose. She goes on to tell her daughter that she must never grow up to be a woman who attends dog races on her own, then corrects herself, saying that she will see to it that her daughter never has to.

The mother describes some of the men who surrounded her on the bus ride to the races, explaining how she had tried to avoid the attention of an Italian man. Eventually, thinking her circumstances couldn’t get much worse, she had wandered over to him anyway. He paid their way in and immediately tried getting to know her better. Later, she left and met a man who, in her opinion, was much classier than the Italian. He asked her to ride home with him in his car, and seeing this as an opportunity to get out of the bus with the Italian, she accepted. Her daughter asks her mother how much money she made, but she continues with her story. She returned to the Italian man to tell him the classy man she just spoke with was her uncle, then asked him to meet her tomorrow instead. He agreed for lunch at twelve the next day, but the classy man she rode home with also suggested lunch that day—at one o’clock. When her daughter asks again how much money she made, she snaps at her, then condescendingly asks her to do her a favor. She tells her daughter she wants to look her best for the gentleman at one o’clock, Mr. Dixon. She asks her daughter to tell the Italian that she isn’t home, but that her father is. The daughter demands a price for this service, asking her mother for one of her lipsticks and powders. The mother denies her, offering an ice-cream soda and money for a movie. Her daughter refuses, now asking for all four items, and the mother relents in hopes that a bad mood won’t ruin her date with Mr. Dixon. She tries to fall into a relaxing nap, then tells her daughter not to tell anyone that her mother brought her up to be a brat.