On a First Name Basis

A successful writer named David discovers one evening that he knows nothing about his housekeeper, whom he has employed for twenty-eight years. She, on the other hand, knows almost everything about him. One evening, David finally tries to learn something about her. It might seem that the educated David would have the upper hand in conversation, but his housekeeper Lucy, whom David compares to "a faded film star from the forties", proves to be a surprisingly good conversational partner. The fact that she has read all his books gives her a considerable advantage in their dialogue.