The End of the Affair: Book 1, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Bendrix writes that he thinks that jealousy “exists only with desire.” His desire at this point in the story’s events, according to him, was “nearer hatred than love.” Henry, on the other hand, had stopped being attracted to Sarah long before he suspected her of adultery. Still, Bendrix theorizes, back then Henry was as jealous as Bendrix because Henry’s desire was for companionship and he felt excluded by the idea that Sarah was having an affair. Bendrix compares his sense of security with Henry’s insecurity, arguing that his security was due to the fact that he had already lost everything. Henry, on the other hand, still felt that Sarah should be at home with him.

Bendrix again thinks back to the beginning of his relationship with Sarah. One week after their first kiss outside of Rules, Bendrix called Sarah to invite her to see a movie that had been based on one of his books. Although the movie wasn’t very good, Bendrix liked the scene where a woman’s lover becomes angry with her for not eating onions because her husband didn’t like the smell. Back at Rules after the movie, the waiter brought out a dish of onions and Bendrix had asked Sarah if Henry liked them. Sarah told him that Henry hated onions but that she loved them, and then she ate some. In the present, Bendrix wonders if it’s possible to “fall in love over a dish of onions” and claims that he’d done just that.

Bendrix writes, “There was no pursuit and no seduction,” but that he and Sarah had left Rules to go kiss in the same spot. Once there, Bendrix told Sarah he’d fallen in love and she told him that she had, too. They were unable to return to either of their homes to have sex, so they took a taxi to a hotel where they “made love badly” before going to Sarah’s house. At Sarah’s, they continued touching each other. When Bendrix noted that Henry would be arrving soon, Sarah told him that they’d hear him because there’s “one stair that always squeaks.” Later, as they said their goodbyes, Sarah mentioned that it’d be better if she called Bendrix instead of vice versa. This made Bendrix realize “how well she kn[ew] how to conduct an affair like this.”