16. 1996
Contains spoilersOverview
Lillian takes Jet to Memphis for the funeral of Barton, Ryan's abusive and estranged father, where they reunite with Elise and briefly with Ryan. The weekend exposes layered grief, tentative reconnections, and Ryan's continuing struggle with alcohol. Small moments of care—sharing food, checkers with Jet, and exchanged touches—collide with relapse and interruption, leaving Lillian hopeful but uncertain. The chapter closes with a quiet gift and renewed, fragile hope for Ryan's involvement.
Summary
In 1996, Barton, Ryan's father and Elise's ex-husband, dies of emphysema in Memphis. Lillian drives Jet to the funeral; Elise has arranged rooms at the La Quinta for herself, Lillian and Jet, and Ryan. At the visitation, Jet views her first open casket, kisses Barton's hand, and Lillian reflects on Barton as boy, man, and body, and on the dual grief of what was and what was not.
Ryan arrives sober and terse, and Lillian realizes their bond was forged by shared pain that later repelled them. Lillian fetches food for Elise and brings extra for Ryan; prompted by Jet, she phones him and he accepts the sandwich but keeps distance. That night, Lillian imagines connection but restrains herself as Jet debates Halloween costumes and falls asleep.
After a sparse, tense funeral, only Jet, Lillian, Ryan, Elise, and Gary remain at the graveside. The group eats together at a nearby restaurant, where Lillian and Ryan briefly share a nostalgic laugh about a past gyro mishap. Back at the hotel, Elise presses Ryan to attend a meeting or session; he resists, and she compares him to Barton before they end in an emotional hug.
Jet asks Ryan to play checkers in the lobby; Lillian leaves them to it. Two hours later, Ryan brings Jet back, proud of finally winning a game; Jet falls asleep in her clothes. At the doorway, Lillian thanks Ryan, and a charged pause ends with him leaving, unable to act on the moment.
Thirty minutes later, Lillian writes Jet a note and goes to Ryan’s room to check on him and confess love. Inside, she discovers an open bottle—Ryan has relapsed after a week sober—and a childhood note Ryan once wrote to Barton. They argue and then speak plainly: Lillian declares love and willingness to help; Ryan admits he is an alcoholic who has tried and failed to stop. He touches Lillian’s face and says he has never stopped loving her; she replies that he stopped letting her love him.
As they are on the brink of intimacy, Jet arrives, sleepy and disoriented, breaking the moment. After escorting Jet back, Lillian and Ryan share a brief, hopeful touch in the doorway—her first kiss on his hand in nine years. Lillian dreams restlessly of drunk Ryan, then of Jet at peace; in the morning they find a breakfast tray and a new checkers set outside their door, and Jet eagerly anticipates beating her dad again, stirring Lillian’s guarded hope.
Who Appears
- Lillian
narrator and mother to Jet; travels to Memphis, supports Elise, reaches out to Ryan, confronts his relapse, and expresses ongoing love.
- Jet
Lillian and Ryan’s daughter; attends her first funeral, plays checkers with Ryan, interrupts Lillian and Ryan’s late-night conversation, expresses excitement and hope.
- Ryan
Lillian’s estranged husband; attends his father’s funeral, remains mostly sober until relapsing in his hotel room, shares memories and brief tenderness, admits alcoholism and continued love.
- Elise
Ryan’s mother; manages Barton’s affairs, appears exhausted, urges Ryan to seek help, hugs him despite tension.
- Barton
Ryan’s father (deceased); abusive and estranged; his death gathers the family and triggers layered grief.
- Gary
Barton’s estranged brother; helps with arrangements, thanks Elise, departs after the burial.