Summary

Chapter 2 opens by telling how Michael has "been careful" (33) with his mother. The narrative then moves quickly into a flashback from a few weeks before, when his mother prepared a dinner in honor of Francis's birthday which devolved into her trying to call the deceased Francis on the phone late at night. An overview of how neighbors in the Park act towards Michael and his mother is given. They are stigmatized, and while some neighbors avoid them, others, like Mrs. Henry—a stern and proper "Mother" of the neighborhood—drop off food for them.

Michael has a flashback to the shootings while trying to sleep on the couch. Michael wakes the next morning and Aisha has left. His mother is unhappy that Aisha slept in his bed, but softens when he tells her she is grieving. He hurries to his job at a food...