Remarkably Bright Creatures The Green Leotard—Epitaphs and Pens Summary & Analysis

Summary

The Green Leotard

Tova recalls that on the night of Erik’s death she had a jazzercise class, and remembers seeing her green leotard slung over the back of a chair while talking to the police; she decides she will get rid of that chair when she moves.

Her father, Papa, built the house she lives in, the same house she grew up in. In the attic he built a play area for Tova and Lars, and the whole family worked on making it nice. Tova and her husband, Will, moved back into the house when Erik was young, and Tova remembers that after Erik died Will had what she refers to as an incident by the attic window. Flush with memories, Tova goes to bed alongside Cat, and dreams she is being safely cradled within a cocoon of tentacles.

Not Glamorous Work

Ethan calls a buddy, who agrees to tow Cameron’s camper to Ethan’s house for free. Cameron asks if Ethan is hiring, and Ethan tells him he’s not, but that the aquarium is. Ethan arranges an interview for Cameron, and the two get drunk and make him a fake resume. The next day Cameron goes in for an interview with Terry, only to be reprimanded for the obvious lies on his resume. However, Cameron apologizes, and though it takes some convincing, Terry hires him for a maintenance position. While he’s waiting for Ethan to pick him up, Cameron calls Brinks Development and is told that Simon Brinks is away at his summer home.

Day 1,324 of My Captivity

Marcellus observes Cameron go in for his interview and surmises that it goes well. He hopes Cameron will start cleaning in time for Marcellus to eat the rock crabs when they are molting, and guesses that Tova won’t be returning.

A Sucker for Injured Creatures

Nearly broke after paying for the fixes on his camper, Cameron eagerly awaits his first paycheck. In the meantime, he goes to the office of Jessica Snell, a realtor whom he talks into giving him more information on Simon Brinks. While Cameron waits for her to get the information, another woman storms angrily into the office to talk to Jessica, and Cameron finds himself very attracted to her even as she mocks him for his appearance and smell. After he gets Brinks’s contact info from Jessica Snell, Cameron follows the woman, whose name is Avery, outside and explains his situation. She gives him balm for a pain in his neck and, to his delight, her phone number. Back at Ethan’s house, Cameron returns a call from the airline and learns that his lost bag is now in Naples, Italy.

Epitaph and Pens

Tova wakes early and runs errands having to do with selling her house and applying to Charter Village. When she is finished she goes to the cemetery to visit her husband’s grave. While she is there she sees an old woman and her great-granddaughter picnicking next to the woman’s husband’s grave and speaking aloud to their dead family member. Tova quietly tells Will she’s selling their house. Later that night she drives to Shop-Way to buy pens to fill out the application, and lets slip to Ethan what she is doing. He is shocked and upset, and asks her to tea on a whim. Tova is surprised but agrees. Lastly, she goes to the aquarium to talk to Marcellus, only to hear a great commotion in the back room.

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