The son has lived in California with a girl for a while. The affair has ended, and the son seems at odds as to what he wants to do. The son is also not given a name. The father wants his son to stay with him. The son is unable to commit to this circumstance yet, and the father is afraid to push the son. The request hangs over them.
The son has accepted the death of his mother as an accident; however, the father essentially tells him that his mother has committed suicide. During the story, the son is haunted by a vision and a picture of his mother. He regrets not having returned to see his parents sooner and feels some guilt toward the mother’s death.