Chapter 2 Summary

It is now the next day, after Ellen's father spends the night in a drunken stupor in his truck and is now ready to start afresh and let bygones be bygones (thinking his wife and daughter want the same thing). Since he is restored to his full faculty and strength, Ellen must be extra careful her father doesn't harm her mother. As Ellen's mother shuffles through her purse, heart pills spill onto the table, giving additional clues into her illness. Ellen's father hurls additional verbal lashes and physical threats at the two females, further illuminating his evil nature and lack of love for his family. In particular, his stroking of a pocketknife is more powerful a threat to Ellen and her mother than his words.

In contrast, in her current life, Ellen's world runs so smoothly that she finds herself constantly contemplating what...