Elizabeth is Missing

Carla tells Maud that someone mugged an old woman and “smashed in” “half her face” (3). Carla often talks about the victimization of older people, and Maud finds her stories upsetting.

When Carla tells Maud that she needs to stop buying so much food, Maud recalls that Helen tells her the same thing. Maud protests, “It’s not like I have many treats left” (4). Maud remembers that her husband tried to keep her from eating sweets, but now that he’s gone, she feels free to eat as many sweets as she likes.

Carla tells Maud to wait until noon to eat lunch. As soon as Carla leaves, Maud eats the sandwich. When Maud turns on the television, she’s unable to follow the plot of the television shows.

While Maud waits for Helen to arrive, Maud thinks about her best friend Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s miserly son who “keeps her on starvation rations” (6). Elizabeth loves buying things from secondhand shops in hopes of finding a treasure, and sometimes Maud buys her things too.

Despite the note telling her not to leave the house, Maud decides to go down to the local grocery shop. She gets lost along the way, which reminds her of the end of the war when bombing changed the neighborhood, flattening houses and leaving rubble behind.