At the opening of the novel, the narrator laments that it is too late to fall in love with someone. He urges his lover to come to the novel's opening to have sex. He tells her to "spit front fast" so that she will not be able to "leave me" . He also urges her not to be selfish and to come see him more, even if she has to "push herself" to do so. The narrator then tells us that he has won a prize for his novel, and that he plans to use the money to start a new business venture. He says that he is now the head chef at the restaurant where he and his fiancee have been working for the past three years. He is excited to be the new head chef, but he is also worried that he will lose his job if he does not expand the restaurant's reach.