This Is Happiness

Noe describes his journey to Avalon House and his recovery from his self-inflicted fall. Having lost consciousness several times, he is cared for by Doady and Ganga. Upon reaching Avalon House, he is treated by Dr. Troy, Sophie Troy’s father, who, despite diagnosing no serious damage, gives Noe a pill to help him recover. In his pain and disorientation, Noe hopes that Sophie will visit him, but instead, he wakes to find Charlotte “Charlie” Troy, Sophie’s sister, in the room. She fascinates him with her beauty, confidence, and mysterious allure as she smokes a cigarette and regards him. Unexpectedly, Charlie invites him to join her on a Friday-night outing, leaving Noe adrift in a disoriented haze of her lingering perfume and the promise of a future engagement.

The chapter then relates elements of Charlie’s past. When she was born, Dr. Troy lied to his dying, deaf father, saying that his newborn daughter, Charlotte, was a boy named Charlie. When his father survived, he maintained the deceit to spare his father from disappointment. As Charlotte, or Charlie, grew up, she became a vibrant, lively girl who often used charm to escape chores and responsibilities. When she started to call herself Charlie, it pierced her father’s heart, reminding him of his deceit.