What Night Brings

The last time Marci sees Danny, it is a family Thanksgiving celebration with her family. Marci watches Tommy and Chacón cooking in the kitchen in order “to figure out whether they were queer or not, and more importantly, if I cared” (165). Danny spends the day in the living room, giving slurred, rambling advice to another cousin before passing out.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Marci and her family learn that Danny has died from a heroin overdose. Marci reflects on a prayer: “When he left I prayed for him to come back alive. But I should have asked for more” (169). At a rosary for Danny, the family sees his body displayed in a coffin. Marci cries over his death for the first time. Eddie “yelled out sounds that I didn’t think could come from a man, much less Eddie” (170). It is a moment of humanity.

Father Chacón gives Mass at Danny’s funeral, which upsets Eddie. Danny is buried “under a tree that was on top of a hill. If you squinted your eyes a little, you could see part of the bay” (171). This was Danny’s wish and is perhaps the first time Marci has seen a prayer come true.