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Office of Education
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 Edie Earl: IntroductionAfter her daily run and a hot shower, Edith Earl sat down at the kitchen table to look at her latest photographs in the sports section of the Coastal Times, just as she did every afternoon. Suddenly, she felt a thump in her chest, as though Rodney Banks, the bantamweight in the picture that she had taken yesterday, reached off the page and tapped her sternum. Then came another, and another. She looked at her watch. They were coming about every 15 seconds, each thump preceded by a swooning sensation. She put the paper aside and stood up. Instinctively she walked briskly around the room, the way a boxer might circle the ring to avoid his opponent. Walking seemed to make the swoons and thumps disappear, but when she sat down they started up again. It felt like her heart was stopping and starting. Maybe it was about to stall. She picked up the cordless phone, glanced at the list of emergency numbers taped on the refrigerator, and dialed Dr. Grey's number as she walked. When the receptionist answered, Edith said, “This is Edie Earl. I'm scared I might be having a heart attack. I'll be there in 10 minutes.” Edith rented a small apartment above the Chatfield's garage. She ran down the outside stairs and knocked loudly on Helen and Ken's kitchen door to ask for a ride.  |
