The notion of general devastation had for Maria a certain sedative effect {the rattlesnake in the playpen, that was different, that was particular, that was punitive}, suggested an instant in which all anxieties would be abruptly gratified, and between the earthquake prophecy and the marijuana and the cheerful detachment of the woman whose house was in the Tajunga Wash, she felt a kind of resigned tranquility.
( Joan Didion )
[ Play It As It Lays ]
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