The Accidental Tourist

With Sarah moved out, many things around the house feel different, from the large items like furniture she frequently used, to the small things, like the drops of spilled makeup left on the medicine cabinet shelves. Ethan’s room is crisp and clean, like a hotel room. The cat and dog still live with Macon. Macon reminisces about Sarah, comparing her to a ghost. He remembers their younger days and how they slowly drifted apart. He compares them to people running to meet with their arms open, but they miss and keep running. 

He’s changed his routines, some to prove he’s adaptable and some because he’s wanted to for years, but Sarah stopped him. He’s developed a system for the dishes to avoid using the dishwasher. He’s created a system to wash his clothes in the shower to cut down on laundry. He’s altered his sheets to form a single pocket to cut down on his linen usage and allow himself a clean bed every night. He worries he might be taking his fondness for methods too far. He wonders if Sarah’s apartment is chaotic, realizing they balanced one another.

Macon works from home, writing travel guides for people who travel for business—a series named Accidental Tourist. Macon hates to travel and has formulated the guides to appeal to people as particular as he is. He enjoys writing because it allows him an opportunity to organize and classify information. 

On the phone, Macon’s sister Rose scolds him for waiting three weeks to tell her that Sarah left. Macon is one of four siblings in the family who are particular and overly organized. Macon tells Rose that Sarah has been by several times to pick up some things. Rose suspects Sarah still cares. Macon assures Rose that he’s fine, and they hang up. 

Macon’s meals are sparse and irregular. He maintains his routines even when he doesn’t want to. He struggles to stay asleep at night, worrying about little and big things alike, thinking about his failed marriage and Ethan’s unexpected death. 

Ethan died at a burger place after sneaking away from summer camp one night. He was twelve, and the burger place had been shot up after being robbed. Macon recalls the camp director driving from Virginia to Baltimore to relay the news in person. When Macon cannot sleep, he goes downstairs to watch old movies and sip milk while sitting with the cat and dog. He finds comfort imagining that other people are also struggling to sleep.

Sarah calls and asks to come pick up a rug that Macon never liked. He agrees, thinking he’ll have an opportunity to invite her in, but she insists on coming Saturday morning when Macon will be in England for work. He agrees to her entering the house without him. Sarah tells him that she fantasizes about speaking to Ethan’s killer, making him aware of the pain he’s caused, then pulling out a gun and killing the man. Sarah has never even seen a gun, and her words worry Macon. 

Macon follows his usual routines to pack for England. He takes the dog, Edward, to his usual vet for boarding, but the desk clerk informs him that Edward is blacklisted for biting a worker the last time he was boarded. Macon finds another vet nearby and manages to convince the desk clerk, Muriel, to allow them to board Edward. Muriel is great with Edward and a fellow divorcee. 

Macon catches his flight, continuing to follow particular routines regarding clothing, terminals, his neighboring passengers, and his packed belongings. He recalls when he annoyed Ethan with his systems while they were trying to see a movie. In London, he explores all the places listed in previous guides to ensure they haven’t changed and makes notes when they have. He visits suggested hotels and restaurants to create entries on each. At night, as he struggles to sleep, he briefly imagines Ethan falling off a plaster camel and disappearing before Macon can catch him. 

He attempts to end his trip early, which is an urge he fights on every trip, but summertime means last-minute flights are difficult to come by. He imagines Sarah in the empty house, wishing she hadn’t left. On his flight home, he recalls an instance when Sarah met him at the airport to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary. 

He barely makes it to the vet in time to pick up Edward. He encounters Muriel again, who shows interest in him, telling him that she trains dogs who bite and giving him her card. She tells him to call her, even just to chat, which Macon finds strange. 

When he returns home, Macon and Edward are both taken aback by the missing rug. Macon showers and hangs his wet laundry to dry. He feels like a tourist in his own home now, too.

Macon wakes to his boss, Julian, calling. Julian tells Macon that he needs the England travel guide by the end of August. Macon cannot make any promises, and he finally agrees to a mid-September deadline after Julian's insistence. Macon struggles to find momentum and feels overwhelmed by the writing he needs to do. Instead, he reorganizes the house, changing the pantry and the lawn. He moves Edward’s bowl to the basement, so he can dump the food down the external laundry chute instead of having to haul the large bag inside. He’s also taught the cat, Helen, to use the dryer hose outlet to go in and outside, sparing himself from litter box duty. However, Edward is afraid of the basement, so Macon must carry Edward down the stairs for meals. 

The neighbors have heard about Sarah leaving and begin inviting Macon to dinners and potlucks. He attends but dislikes it. Sarah used to love parties but avoided them after Ethan’s death. Macon recalls meeting Sarah. They were 17 and attending a mixer between their schools. He was aloof, thinking Sarah was unattainable, which attracted her to him. They dated throughout college, with Sarah showing more affection toward Macon than he did to her. He felt stuck in the aloof persona she fell for. He describes it by alluding to the old saying that making faces will get your face stuck that way. One day, while Macon was home from college for the summer, working for his grandfather, Sarah asked him why he hadn't wanted to sleep with her. They almost did, but they stopped short because they had no condom. They agreed Sarah would talk to her doctor about contraceptives, but she told Macon she’ll be denied since they aren’t engaged. Macon responded by saying they should get engaged. They married shortly after college. 

Muriel calls, catching Macon off-guard. She asks again if she can come train Edward. She suggests a consultation at Macon’s house or at hers over dinner. Macon declines, but she asks him to keep her in mind. 

Macon’s begun wearing sweat suits, stopped shaving, and let his posture slip. He’s growing tired of his systems and routines. He rants on the phone to the grocery delivery service about being alone, unable to stop himself. He tries to pull himself together by plugging the dryer back in so he can get on top of his slipping laundry. While Macon carries Edward downstairs to the basement, Helen gets stuck in the dryer hose, making a horrible noise. Spooked, Edward kicks off of Macon, sending Macon falling down the stairs. Helen frees herself, and Macon realizes he’s badly injured.