Expiration Dates

Afterward, Jake takes Daphne to an Italian restaurant in Laurel Canyon. He says that Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood in West Los Angeles near the mountains, is the only place where he can smell the woods, and it reminds him of his home in Seattle. Daphne is delighted by how honest and earnest Jake is. In a moment of seriousness, he asks what Daphne is looking for in a relationship. She responds, “What everyone is looking for […] To meet the right person, to be with someone I want to see in the morning and naked. To not be afraid to have a bad day around them. To be happy, I guess” (64).

She then turns the question on Jake. He explains that he was married before to his high school sweetheart and that he loved her very much, but she died from an illness when they were 27. The point of his story is not to foster pity but to explain that he is not interested in casual dating. Daphne says that he is looking for something serious, to which Jake responds, “The opposite of casual is deep” (67).

In a flashback, Daphne describes Stuart, a boy she knows in high school and later dates. He is a brilliant and meticulous student. Though Daphne is not a diligent student, they are on the debate team together and become friendly. Daphne’s parents love Stuart, and they have tastes in common. They meet again seven years later in New York City, where Daphne is visiting an old college friend. Stuart has become an attractive and accomplished banker. He asks Daphne out to dinner, and they later go to his apartment.

Stuart says that he has thought about Daphne often over the years. He will be in Los Angeles for business in a month and would like to see her again. Daphne spins fantasies in her head about the two of them finding each other again after so many years and becoming the perfect couple. They have sex, and afterward, Stuart asks Daphne to leave because he has an early morning to prepare for. He says that it was fun, but there is no more talk of seeing each other again. Disappointed, Daphne leaves. On her way out, she finds a slip of paper stuck to her shoe that reads, “Stuart, one night” (76).

In the present, Daphne and Hugo go to a farmer’s market at Melrose Place, which they do every Sunday. They talk about Daphne’s second date with Jake, and Daphne complains that Jake did not kiss her, adding that Jake is a widower. Hugo says that he feels bad for him and suggests that might be why Jake is reluctant to rush things with Daphne.

While at the farmer’s market, Daphne asks Hugo about his current girlfriend as they shop, which he quickly dismisses. Then, back at Daphne’s apartment, they make breakfast while Hugo texts on his phone. Daphne reflects that she hated Hugo’s phone when they were dating, feeling that it took his attention away from their limited time together, but insists that it does not bother her now that they are friends.

Daphne laments that she buys too many things, and Hugo jokes about putting her on the Hoarders television show. Then, Hugo offers to take Daphne and Jake out to dinner so that he can meet the new man. Daphne is reluctant, feeling that it is too soon, but Hugo reminds her that the note with no time limit proves that Jake is the one. Daphne seems uncertain and asks, “Do you really think it means forever?” (84).

The narrative flashes back to when Daphne is in her mid-twenties and she moves away from home for the first time. She has just ended a long-term relationship with her college boyfriend and moved to San Francisco for a job with a tech start-up, and she matches with Noah on a dating app. Noah is in graduate school studying meteorology. On their first date, he takes her to see the “Painted Ladies,” a group of colorful Victorian row houses famous in San Francisco. Afterward, Daphne returns to her hotel and receives an envelope from the receptionist. The note tells her that she has five weeks with Noah. Daphne feels the excitement of her twenties and the anticipation of adventure and thinks that five weeks is just the right amount of time.

In the present, Daphne visits her parents in the Palisades for a weekend brunch. Her parents are members of the local reconstructionist Jewish temple, and her mother, Debra, holds a brunch for members of the temple once a month. Her father, Moshe, is supportive. They have an easy, loving, teasing relationship.

During the brunch, one friend asks if Daphne is seeing anyone, and she tells them a little about Jake. Debra asks if he is Jewish, and Daphne admits that she is not certain. Then, Debra switches the conversation to Hugo, reminding Daphne of how handsome he is. Daphne recalls how much her parents liked Hugo when they dated but only adds that the problem with Hugo is that he knows how handsome he is.

While Irina is in New York for a photoshoot, Daphne drives with Kendra to Irina’s house to water her plants. They talk about work and Penelope, Irina’s “on-again, off-again girlfriend, who was once her wife” (100). Penelope and Irina have been married, divorced, and broken up several times over the years. Then, they talk about Jake, as Kendra is the one who first set them up. Daphne says that she has a “good feeling” about Jake, and Kendra says that he has faced many difficulties, which have made him kinder and more mature.

Daphne compares herself and Jake to Kendra and her husband, who got married after only six weeks of dating. Daphne asks if Kendra ever misses being single and dating. Kendra admits that she never even wanted to get married until she met Joel. Daphne says that that does not answer the question, but Kendra insists that it does.

Jake offers to cook Daphne dinner at his apartment in Wilshire Corridor, a location that Daphne finds amusing since the average resident in the area is retired and in their eighties. Jake explains that the apartment is cheap and that he enjoys his elderly neighbors. It was also the first place he lived on his own after his wife died. Daphne meets Jake’s dog and confirms that Jake is Jewish. She knows that her parents would not be opposed if he was not, but the commonality makes her feel more comfortable. After dinner, Jake kisses Daphne, and she is touched by his care and intentionality.