Summary

Doug Bedloe retires and does not know what to do with himself. Bee finds him things to fix around the house. Doug spends his time at the foreigners’ house. The boys are always up to something, which usually requires a call to the fire department.

Claudia comes to the house occasionally to help with the heavy cleaning. Doug finds the family dog dead on the kitchen floor. He gets Ian to help him bury the dog before the children see her.

Ian invites his parents to a Christian Fellowship Picnic. They are reluctant, but they agree because Mrs. Jordan has accepted Ian’s offer. Doug does not feel comfortable at the outing, and Bee sits away from everyone. She is unsociable.

Bee talks about Danny on the way home. She feels they are just going on with their lives with no thought of Danny...