Ghosts

Nina finds her father polishing the silver at home. He claims that he and Nancy argued about taking a cruise to Guinea. When Nancy arrives home from yoga class, she tells Nina that they aren’t going on a cruise. She and Nina argue over his strange behavior at dinner parties. He often disengages from the conversation and leaves the table abruptly; at one party he disappeared, and they found him wandering the neighborhood. Nancy thinks his behavior is rude, but Nina thinks that he is aware of his cognitive decline and avoids conversations so people don’t think he is unintelligent. Nina finds a copy of Robinson Crusoe in her father’s chair and realizes that he confused the castaway story with his reality. Nina tells her mother about Max, and she insists that they have him over for dinner. Nina is testing recipes for a condensed milk company, and she brought extra cans to her parents. Nancy tells her that Bill’s favorite snack as a child was bananas and condensed milk. Nina makes him a bowl, and when he eats it, the memories flood through him and Nina sees a marked change in his face.