Summary

These pages are part of Book One titled The Age of Florence. Edgar arrives home two hours later than normal, and Florence is panicked over the thought of something bad happening to her grandson. She is nervous because today is Frank’s birthday. Edgar rushes to the upstairs bathroom to wipe off Thomas’ carving. He sees the ink on his skin and thinks of his grandfather, Pio and what it was like finding his dead body floating in the bathtub. Edgar returns to the kitchen, where his grandmother is making spaghetti with meatballs. He asks her if someone killed his father. Florence tells him yes, someone killed Frank. She then thinks to herself that suicide is very much like being killed by someone else. She sits silently at the table while Edgar waits for more information, but Florence remains in her own thoughts...