In Isaac Bashevis Singer's "Schloimele", the narrator receives a kiss from Sylvia and the complains that it's sore:
'But the evening's only just begun!' Sylvia protested as her crimson fingernails proffered my jacket. Before I left she gave me a prolonged kiss and promised she would contact me soon.
[...]
Lying fully dressed on my bed, I waited tensely for the bathroom door to open. I felt a sore swelling where Sylvia had kissed my cheek. She must have had the lips of a vampire.
(translated by Alma Singer and Elaine Gottlieb)
Why is the spot where Sylvia kissed developing a "sore swelling"? Is this supposed to tell us something about the narrator, or about Sylvia?
