On the Road

By spring, Sal has begun to feel restless once again. He has come into some money after selling his book and wants to travel west again. This time, Dean must stay behind in New York, so Sal plans to travel alone. Dean is working hard at his job in a parking lot because he must support children with both Inez and Camille. Though Sal and Dean still go to many parties, Dean has tamed his chaotic tendencies. Now, he no longer has a place in the bustle of New York City. One night, as Sal and Dean stay up and talk to each other in the rain, Dean reveals that his father wrote to him for the first time in years. Dean’s father is in prison in Seattle, and Dean wants to bring him to New York. Later, Dean and Sal watch a televised game of baseball and play basketball with the neighborhood kids. Dean and Sal try to win, but the kids beat them easily. That evening, Dean and Sal eat dinner with Sal’s aunt. Dean shocks her by paying back the $15 he borrowed from her many years before to pay his speeding ticket. After dinner, Dean shows Sal pictures of Camille and his baby.