your mother's friend jerry had a heart attack in a bar in dallas. he's dead. estelle sobs, but isn't joined by her children. she turns to lance.
uh.  i'm afraid they've already been sent. to his wife. beat. nick looks to joanie. they both look to their mother.
there, there, ma'am. it's going to be okay. nick watches his mother sobbing against the cop's chest for a beat before he rolls up the window and he and joanie resume watching the movie. estelle's cries of despair become.
kid, you are asking for trouble.
you little shit. you stole your mother's dead ex-boyfriend's trailer and set a five million dollar fire.
a white teenage male, about five- seven. a hundred and twenty five pounds, dark hair, spotted complexion.
he was also wearing a tee shirt with the words: i'm single, let's mingle. nick glances down at the lettering on his shirt. oops. estelle bursts into tears.
tell you what, estelle. i'll make out that nick reported the car and trailer stolen before the fire. it'll be less suspicious. but i could take some serious heat for this.
i'll think of something, estelle. he gives her ass a playful squeeze. she lets out a giggle.
now the kid better not be here when the detectives start coming around. i'd send him away for a while. a long while.
wait a minute, estelle, aren't you going to punish him? i'd say he deserves a good hiding.
yeah.
nick, ya little prick, where are ya?
no matter, they'll get you eventually.
	12:
nick, honey. why don't you take albert? he could be our love child.
oakland public school. in nick's eyes the fear of a sentence worse than death.
i have been stabbed. stabbed in the back.
all in all, i'm happy and look forward to further growth in this rich, intellectual environment. vijay sets down the letter. nick waits a beat, staring in disbelief.
thank you. lacey hangs up the phone.
daddy is in davenport. where you left his car.
we'll have to resume this another time, nick. it's been an emotionally exhausting weekend. my parents are in an uproar over paul. he's moved some floozie in with him up in the studio over the garage.
obviously the answer is clear.
well.  yeah! a beat as nick's open admissions makes her consider his point. she sighs and shakes her head.
sister, darling, how long has it been since we all observed the rituals of thanksgiving?