55 pages • 1 hour read
Kirstin Valdez QuadeA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Jeff stands with his sister Brooke in the kitchen of their grandmother, Becky. They have just attended her funeral. She died of a stroke, but from the state of her house, it is obvious that she had been struggling. Once a tidy woman, Becky was unable to clean up after herself in the months preceding her death, and the home is now filthy. Jeff lives in New York and cannot help but blame his mother and sister, who live very close to his grandmother’s house, for failing to check on her. Now, he and Brooke discuss different options for how to deal with the property. Although Brooke wants to rent it out, Jeff understands how much work that would actually entail and thinks that they should sell it instead.
As they are talking, the phone rings. It is their father, Victor. Their relationship with him is strained, and Jeff does not want to deal with him just then. He asks if Victor needs money, and Victor is offended by the question. He tells Jeff that he does not need money, but that he is dying of cancer and that he is also standing outside. Jeff looks out the window and sees Victor in the yard.
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