THE STORY: The setting is a dreary, empty laundromat at 3 A.M. Alberta, a rather formal older woman, enters and begins to sort her laundry. She is soon joined by Deedee, a brash and rough spoken young woman who, at first glance, seems to be the complete opposite of the reserved, carefully spoken Alberta. As they go about their chores a conversation begins, and it becomes apparent that Alberta might prefer to be alone. As for Deedee, her natural ebullience leads her to reveal more than Alberta cares to know about her childhood and, although she makes light of it, the heartache she feels now that her husband is cheating on her. In time Alberta unbends, confessing that her own life is not as tidy as Deedee had assumed. In the end, the two hear each other out and come to a better understanding of how to deal with the isolation and rejection that life can inflict.
A probing, sensitive yet very funny study of two lonely women, one young, one not so young, who meet by chance in a late-night laundromat. Presented initially with
Third and Oak: The Pool Hall.
“The writing shines with truth and insight, and it falls, with scarcely a false note, as easily from the lips as you might expect of midnight confidences between strangers.” —New York Daily News.
