The Schwa Was Here

After being dumped by Lexie and downgraded to dog walker, Antsy arrives home to find his parents having “the Big One”—the huge fight the siblings had all feared (105). Antsy knows that he could enter the kitchen where they are fighting and get a soda without being seen, but he is suddenly angry and fed up with his peacemaker role. Antsy purposefully draws his parents’ anger by cussing and telling them it is dinnertime. Mom asks him who makes the better fra diavolo sauce, and Antsy, instead of being evasive, names Dad. Silence ensues. Antsy knows they did not want the truth. Mom pours their dinner sauce down the drain and leaves the house. Dad cooks a delicious dinner, and they eat silently. Dad leaves a plate of food in the fridge for Mom. Antsy wants to know what happens next, but Dad has no answers. Antsy worries that something so small could destroy their family. He falls asleep waiting to hear if Mom comes home.

The next morning, Mom is drinking coffee in the kitchen. Uncharacteristically, she does not help Antsy get his breakfast. The plate Dad saved for her has been hand-washed.