Calamity and Other Stories (15 page)

She spoke with such conviction, with such finality, that, even though no one had even an inkling as to what she might mean, her words still seemed, to everyone, satisfyingly profound.

A contemplative hush came over the tent. Someone whispered something about haiku. The Maid of Honor breathed calmly as the Best Man, in his finest moment, swept up to the microphone.

“To all the
people
!” he cried, lifting his glass. “And to all of you!”

He then took the Maid of Honor by the elbow and led her away from the microphone. From the speakers came the waning sound of her dress, and throughout the tent people said another round of “Cheers!”—not so much to each other, this time, as to her.

Daphne Kalotay

Calamity and Other Stories

Born and raised in New Jersey, Daphne Kalotay is a graduate of Vassar College and of Boston University, where she received an MA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in literature. Her short stories have appeared in various literary journals and magazines, and she has taught literature and writing at Middlebury College and Boston University. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

FIRST ANCHOR BOOKS EDITION, MAY 2006

Copyright © 2005 by Daphne Kalotay

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the Doubleday edition as follows:
Kalotay, Daphne.
Calamity and other stories / by Daphne Kalotay.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Contents: Serenade—A brand new you—All life’s grandeur—Prom season—
Sunshine cleaners—The man from Allston Electric—Anniversary—Snapshots
—Difficult thoughts—Rehearsal dinner—Calamity—Wedding at Rockport.
1. United States—Social life and customs—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3611.A455C35 2004
813’.6—dc22
2004052701

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eISBN: 978-0-307-42514-0

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