Beverly, Right Here

At the beach, Beverly looks at the happy photo of Mr. Denby’s family and labels it a lie. People aren’t happy: They’re horrible, and the world lacks equity. Jerome is alive, and Buddy is dead—that’s not fair.

Robbie, a boy around six or seven, asks Beverly to move—he wants to build a sandcastle where she sits. If she doesn’t move, Robbie will get his mom. Beverly isn’t afraid of Robbie’s mom, but the mom scares Robbie. Beverly helps Robbie build a sandcastle before his mom takes him away. Beverly promises to return and thinks about how people lie to children. She ponders the world’s countless “stupid things” before thinking about Nod, the blue angel wings, and Iola’s tuna melt.

Iola excitedly reads a piece of paper advertising Christmas in July. Though it’s August, not July (and it is summertime, not Christmastime), the VFW is hosting a Christmas event, and attendees will have the chance to win the world’s hugest turkey. There’ll be dancing and food, and Beverly notices a Santa and a lone “ho.”

Beverly asks Iola if Elmer can come for dinner, and Iola says he can—she’ll make tuna melts. At Zoom City, Beverly officially invites Elmer to dinner, but Elmer doesn’t want Beverly’s pity.