Summary

Shuba and Ajay visit Rajinder at Bellevue several times a week. Ajay notes the foul smell of his dad's room, but his family appreciated privacy so they often shut the door while visiting. While watching his mother care for his father, he realizes how much she cares for her husband. He sees his mother watching his father and sees it as an act of love, since she appears to be trying to memorize him.

During his father's stay at the hospital, Ajay, Rajinder, and Shuba attend group counseling sessions meant to support the families of alcoholics as they work through the sobriety process. Ajay sees it as very American to call drinking a disease and therefore avoid responsibility, so the reader knows that these counseling sessions are not his favorite time of the day. The counselor gives tips on how to effectively communicate with...