The Revenge Of The Radioactive Part 2

Vic would never have admitted it to anyone, but part of him was hoping for a hurricane to hit Tallaha.s.see. Growing up in the Midwest, head always run outside, instead of into the bas.e.m.e.nt, when the tornado sirens started wailing, but he never actually got to see a funnel cloud. Now he wanted more than just to see a storm coming. He wanted to be in a storm. Period.

Almost every summer, tropical storms flooded Tallaha.s.see, but a tropical storm, nasty as it might be, wouldnat do. It had to be a big mother. Cat. 3 or better. Chances this year were good. According to the weather experts, the 2006 hurricane season was supposed to be as bad or worse than the previous season, which was the most active hurricane season in recorded history, the season of Dennis, Emily, Rita, Wilma, and Katrina. Head watched news coverage of those hurricanes and found himself, in a sick sort of way, envious of the survivors he heard telling their stories. Theyad lived through a natural disaster of legendary proportions, they told awe-inspiring stories, and their lives would never be the same. Of course there were tragic losses, and he felt bad about the losses, when he thought about them, which he didnat spend much time doing. Instead, he kept imagining what it would be like to be right in the middle of all that fury, and hoped head get the chance.

Tallaha.s.see was twenty-five miles inland, but that didnat make it safe from hurricanes. People still talked about Hurricane Kate, which wreaked havoc in 1985a"ten years before Vic and his family moved from Iowa to Tallaha.s.see. People said there were trees down everywhere, especially the big pines, power and water out for six weeks. There hadnat been any direct hurricane hits since then, but Vic was hoping for the worst, which, he supposed, made him a selfish and callous person, but as long as he never actually voiced this desire, who would know? Itas not like he could cause a hurricane to come there. Get bigger, he told the little orange circle that wasnat quite a storm. It didnat budge.

Mrs. Archer showed up right at seven thirty p.m., and Vic was annoyed to be summoned out of his hidey-hole, but he tried to cover up his annoyance by offering the old lady some chocolate cake, and of course Caroline and Suzi wanted some, too, so he divvied up the remains and gave himself the smallest piece. Carrying their slices of cake on Carolineas precious Jadeite dessert plates, they paraded into the living rooma"Vic, Suzi, and Caroline and Nance, as she insisted on being called. The rest of the family was nowhere to be seen. Otis was out in his shed, Ava was in her bedroom, supposedly doing homework, and Wilson was downstairs aresting.a None of them wanted to be subjected to an awkward evening with Nance, the fool who was dangling a trip to Italy in front of Suzi.

Vicas living room felt more cramped and shabby each time he entered it. One side had big windows looking out at the front yard, and the other walls were covered with bookcases and flea market oil paintings and old family photosa"of Carolineas familya"in antique frames. Every flat surface was littered with fifties knickknacksa"souvenir ashtrays, chalk bookends with animals heads on them.

Once upon a time Vic had welcomed all the stuff Caroline brought home from her excursions, but that was back when the kids were little and it felt like they had room to spare. Now they were living with three hulking teenagers and a dog and Carolineas ever-present fathera"whoad always been kind to Vic, even though head been an English major, and had paid for private elementary school for all three of his grandkids, so how could Vic complain about his being there? It was just that this house was starting to feel just as chaotic and unwelcoming as the house he grew up in. If a hurricane did come through Tallaha.s.see and their house was flooded, all Carolineas c.r.a.p would be ruined and theyad get to start over again.

As soon as Nance spotted the old photographs, grouped together on one wall and lined up on top of a short bookcase, she shuffled over to see them, oohing and aahing. Suzi told her who was who. Nance seemed most interested in photos of Wilson and his wives. Suzi pointed out Wilsonas later wives, Lila and then Verna Tommy, both of them plump and blond and sweet faced, unlike Carolineas own mother, his first wife, Mary, who was dark and serious looking. Nance picked up and closely examined the oval sepia-toned portrait of Wilson and Mary on their wedding day, both of them gazing down at her bouquet of daylilies like it was the most compelling thing in the world. aWhat a lovely couple!a Nance said. aOh, I just love old photographs.a She turned to Caroline, who was slouched at the other end of the couch from Vic, waiting to be able to politely eat her cake, as he was. aYour mother made a beautiful bride,a Nance said to Caroline.

aShe left when I wasnat even a year old,a Caroline answered. aNever heard from her again.a aOh, dear. Iam so sorry.a Nance set the photograph back down in front of the others, positioning it carefully. aShe mustave been out of her mind. Simply out of her mind to do that.a aOkay, time to eat.a Suzi knew when to head her mother off. She herded her new friend, both of them clutching their cake plates, forks, and napkins, over to the old red armchair in the corner, where Nance settled down.

Suzi, her wild curly hair pulled back in a ponytail, plopped down between Caroline and Vic, emitting waves of lemony smelling perfume.

Nance sat on the edge of her seat and began to eat daintily, careful not to drop a crumb. She was the kind of person who was easy to overlook. She had a short white cap of hair and pale skin. She had a dark place on one cheek, like an age spot, and legs speckled with bruises, which Vic a.s.sumed were from b.u.mping into things. She wore a flowered skirt and tucked-in blouse, and the whole affair rode up too high on her waist. This was the only fashion faux pas Vic ever noticed in anybody, because head once been accused of high-waistedness himself.

In between bites of cake, Suzi reached over and adjusted the strap of Carolineas tank top so that it was covering the tattoos on her left shoulder.

Caroline, his former sprite of a wife turned menopausal mess, yanked her strap back down.

aYouare just as cute as your daughter,a Nance said to Caroline.

Caroline shook her head, ungracious about the compliment.

She used to be cute, Vic thought, until she gave up on herself and everyone except Ava. When Vic met Caroline shead been a fashion merchandizing major at the University of Iowa, working part-time at a clothing store, called Barbaraas, in downtown Iowa City. After she graduated and married Vic she was promoted to store manager. Women from all over Johnson Countya"and surrounding countiesa"flocked into Barbaraas to get Carolineas sartorial advice. She used to wear slightly unusual but pleasing combinations of clothes, like plaid Bermuda shorts and a ruffly top, or a slinky dress and cowboy boots, and shead always gotten stylish haircuts. Back then shead had a calm sense of purpose about her, but these days she was either comatose or bristling with manic, angry energy.

Now she was wearing a pair of baggy, ripped-up shorts and a tank top with Gumby on it, her face puffy from an earlier crying jag. Shead scrunched her hair up in a bunch of tiny ponytails to keep it off her face and neck, which made her look like a crazy person. Shead tendered this invitation to Nance as a concerned parent, but she did not project either competence or hospitality. What Nance didnat know was that shead actually dressed up for her. Shead put on a bra!

Vic knew how he looked to Nancea"a run-of-the-mill middle-aged white guy, curly hair in need of a trim, an eager-to-please smile meant to cover up his desire to get the h.e.l.l out of there.

Nance was glancing around the room like she was looking for something or someone. She turned to Caroline. aYour yard is so beautiful. Who does it?a aWe do,a Vic said.

Caroline gave him a cold smile, because, it was true, shead been doing the yard work of late, but it was because he was either at work or at soccer with Suzi.

Nance smiled eagerly. aI believe Iave seen your father out there from time to time. Iad love to talk to him about Memphis. I lived there for years.a aOh,a Caroline said.

aIs he here?a aHeas napping,a Caroline said.

aMaybe another time?a aSure.a Vic sighed. Why were they talking about Wilson and Memphis instead of Italy and Suzi?

aThis is just the best cake, Caroline!a Nance said, dabbing at her lips with a napkin.

Vic waited for Caroline to correct Nance and give Suzi credit, but she didnat.

aI made it,a Suzi said. aFor Momas birthday.a aAll by herself,a Vic added.

aWell, it is scrumptious!a Nance said, then went on nervously. aItas so nice to meet more neighbors. I feel so blessed. I just happened to buy a house across from the youth minister at the Genesis Church. What church do yaall go to?a aWe donat,a Caroline said.

aNot very often,a Vic added, trying to smooth over his wifeas bluntness.

aI go with my friend Mykaila,a Suzi said. aMykailaas African American, but they go to a white church.a aI swan,a said Nance.

Everybody went back to eating.

A churchgoing Southern lady who used old-timey expressions like I swan and took vacations in Italy. She was too good to be true, like some innocuous creature in a mystery novel who actually turned out to be a ruthless criminal.

aThat Reverend Coffeyas daughteras kind of strange,a Nance continued. aI came home from Publix yesterday and found her in my carport, just sitting there!a aDid you ask her what she was doing?a Suzi asked.

aShe wanted to know could she wash my car for eight dollars. I found that peculiar. Why eight dollars?a aI know her,a Suzi said. aRusty. She must need the money for drugs.a aWell, thatas just great,a Nance said, waving her hand dismissively. aI live next door to a dope fiend.a aLetas talk about Italy!a Suzi announced, setting down her cake plate on the coffee table.

aYes, letas do,a Vic said, setting his plate down, too.

aItaly?a Nance said.

aYou know,a Suzi said, speaking to Nance like she was a child. aOur trip to Tuscany. How about early August? After soccer camp and before school starts.a aSounds good,a said Nance, nodding vigorously. If she was surprised by Suzias insistence, she didnat show it. aThat would be the perfect time.a aYou really want to take Suzi?a Caroline asked. aMay I ask why?a Did she have to be so openly suspicious of the woman? aWe wanted to make sure,a Vic said, ayou know, that Suzi didnat misread your invitation.a aNo, she did not!a Nance smiled at Suzi, who glanced down at the carpet, pleased. aOne of my childhood friends has a villa just outside Lucca,a Nance said. aHer better half recently died and sheas been after me to come visit and Iave been itching to go, but I need this young thing to come along and help me.a A villa outside Lucca. Sounded heavenly. He and Caroline were the ones who ought to be going there.

aIave always wanted to go to Italy,a Suzi said. aEver since I saw Under the Tuscan Sun with Diane Lane. You didnat tell me about your best friendas villa, Nance.a aWe canat afford that kind of trip right now,a Caroline put in.

aMaybe Suzi could earn the money,a Vic suggested, realizing that he was mostly championing the trip because Caroline was against it.

aIad pay for everything,a Nance said. aShouldave mentioned that right off. Money isnat a problem for me, thank the Lord.a aBut why Suzi?a Caroline persisted. aYou just met.a Nance explained that she didnat have any children and that she herself had been an only child and didnat have any other living relatives. aI lost my daughter a long time ago,a she said. aSuzi reminds me of her. Iave never stopped missing her.a Vic said he was sorry, but Caroline said nothing.

Suzi said, aWhat about your son? The doctor?a Nance looked briefly confused, then she smiled. aThatas my stepson,a she said.

Suddenly Caroline turned to Nance, and asked, in an accusatory voice, aHow long did you live in Memphis?a aSince the early fifties.a aHave you lived anywhere else?a aLittle Rock, when I was a child. After the war I moved up to Memphis with my first husband.a aSo youave been married more than once,a Caroline said.

aTwice. Just had the one daughter. But I didnat get to see her grow up.a Nance set her empty cake plate and fork down on the mosaicked end table and dabbed at her little bowlike mouth.

Caroline handed Vic her empty cake plate, like he was supposed to do something with it. He set it down, too hard, on top of his.

aThat spot on your face,a Caroline said. aHas it been there a long time?a What was with all these random personal questions?

Nance touched her cheek. aItas a birthmark.a Now Caroline seemed agitated. She shifted around on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Vic could tell that she wanted to get back to her bedroom and shut the door on all of them. Their bedroom had somehow become her bedroom. In the last few years of their marriage, Vic had been eased into the category of people who got in Carolineas way.

Now it was Nanceas turn to ask Caroline a question. aWhen did your father live in Memphis?a aHe grew up there. Got his first job there, after medical school.a aHow interesting! And where did you say his job was?a aI didnat.a Why was Caroline being so grudging toward Nance? She was the one whoad insisted on inviting Nance over. It was obvious Nance was lonely and Memphis was something they had in common. Would it hurt to just humor her a little?

aWilson was a researcher at the medical school,a Vic said.

aI wonder if I ever ran into him,a Nance said. aI went to the free clinic at the medical school. Lived in Lauderdale Courts at the time. Didnat have much money then.a There was a loud startled cry and then, with a great flapping, Ava swooped down the hall into the living room. She perched on the ottoman, knee up like a large bird. She wore white cotton socks with her shorts because her feet were always cold. aWhere did you say you lived in Memphis?a Ava asked Nance.

aThis is my daughter Ava,a Vic said.

ah.e.l.lo, Ava. Nice to meet you. We were living in Lauderdale Courts. Public housing.a aWow,a said Ava. aI canat believe it.a aOh no,a Suzi groaned. aHere we go.a aDid you ever meet Elvis?a Ava asked Nance. aHe lived there in the early fifties.a aI knew who he was. Didnat really know him. He used to play his guitar in the courtyard.a aOh my G.o.d!a Ava jumped and began to pace back and forth, back and forth, the width of the living room, head tilted, twiddling the fingers of one hand, the way she did when she got excited. Vic watched Nance watch Ava curiously, wondering, no doubt, what was up, why a young woman would act this way. The pacing was an Aspergeras thing, and Vic found it charming, because she did it when she was excited and happy. Caroline, however, found it embarra.s.sing.

Sure enough, Caroline told Ava to sit down.

Ava didnat seem to hear her mother. aDid you talk to Elvis?a she asked Nance, pacing.

aNot really,a said Nance. aJust to say h.e.l.lo. To me he was just a white boy singing colored songs. How wrong I was!a aOh, I wish youad talked to him when you had the chance!a Ava said. aYouare so lucky! Mom and I went to Memphis over Christmas break. We got to see Graceland and Lauderdale Courts and Sun Studio and Humes High School. All the old Elvis places.a aPlease stop talking about Elvis,a Suzi said. aWeare trying to plan our trip to Italy.a aPlease be nice to your sister,a Caroline told Suzi.

aPlease sit down, Ava,a Suzi, the a.s.sistant parent, put in.

aPlease shut up,a Ava told her.

aYou shut up.a aStop it, you two,a Caroline said, in that same flat voice shead been using too often lately.

aNanceas going to think you fight all the time!a Vic said.

aWe do fight all the time,a said Ava.

aIt was a joke, Ava,a Vic said.

aA lame joke,a Caroline said, without looking at Vic. aGo finish your homework, Ava.a aI canat. Iam going to fail!a aNo, youare not.a It was obvious by then that Vicas family couldnat hold it together for five minutes, not even in front of a guest. Itas time to go home, lady, Vic silently told Nancy Archer. Just leave us to feast on one anotheras carca.s.ses. aGood-bye, Ava,a he said. aDo what your mother asked you to do.a aI taught at Humes High School,a Nance put in, afor fifteen years.a To his relief, Ava didnat respond to this. She slunk back to her room.

aSo thatas what you were doing,a Caroline said, half under her breath.

Nance turned to Vic and asked him about his work.

Vic picked up his favorite pillow, a suede pillow with a fuzzy dog embroidered into one side, clutched it to his chest, and told Nancy all about the portfolio project. As he talked, he thought of something he could do for Nancy, a way he could arrange for her to meet more people, nice people, unlike his wife. aWeall start scoring about the middle of June,a he told Nance. aYou probably donat need the extra income, but if you want to get out of the house, it might be fun. We hire lots of retired people. All you need is a bacheloras degree. The scoring will last about a month. You can set your own hours!a Vic was aware that he sounded like a game show host, but his enthusiasm wasnat put on and he knew that some of it had to do with Gigi.

Nance clapped her hands together. aI swan. I just might. Thank you, Vic!a aWill it be over by the time we go to Italy?a Suzi asked.

aItall be over in about six weeks,a Vic said, aG.o.d willing.a aDad went to graduate school in English,a Suzi told Nance.

aHe had to drop out so he could support us,a Ava yelled from her bedroom.

Ava was right a well, half right a but Vic hated to hear such excuses. Head applied to graduate school because he loved Fitzgerald and Hemingway, but not long after head enrolled he was informed that his literary heroes were beyond pa.s.s, a couple of s.e.xist old drunks, and he felt trapped in cla.s.ses where politically correct theory heads pontificated. But head dragged his family down to FSU from Iowa so head hung on for a while, too long maybe. Finally he grabbed his M.A. as a kind of consolation prize and got on with things, taking a full-time job at FTA. He was fine with his decision. He actually liked his job at FTA and was good at it.

aIs Dr. Spriggs going to score papers for you, too?a Nance asked him.

Caroline answered for him. aDadas memoryas not so good.a aHow bad is it?a Nance frowned intently.

aBad,a said Caroline.

aItas not that bad,a Vic said.

Caroline made a scoffing sound. aIam the one who looks after him all day. I should know.a Suzi clambered to her feet. aIave got some social studies to finish. The Incas and Mayans.a She smiled politely at Nance and thanked her for coming. Then she stopped, just before rounding the corner, and stood there dramatically. aSo can I go to Italy with Nance? Can I?a aNo, you canat,a Caroline said.

Suzi said, aWhat? Why not? She needs me.a aWeall talk about it later,a Vic said, when Caroline didnat reply.

Suzi waved at her friend and disappeared.

Nance scooted forward in her chair and gazed at Caroline. Vic expected her to make a case for Italy, but she surprised him. aMy new house doesnat have any yard to speak of. I miss it so much. Maybe I could come work in yours sometime.a aThereas not much to do,a Caroline said.

Nance began blinking her eyes rapidly, obviously disappointed.

aCome by anytime,a Vic told Nance.

aMary,a Caroline said, apropos of nothing.

Nance jerked her head quickly toward Caroline, frowned, then looked quickly away.

aWhat?a Vic said. aWhyad you say that?a aMary?a Caroline said again. aIsnat that your name?a aItas Nance.a Nance giggled, even though she was having to apologize for not being Mary.

aOh, right.a Had Caroline really forgotten the poor womanas name that quickly? Vic was living in a house full of lunatics. He wouldnat blame Nance if she never darkened their door again.

Nance was the kind of woman head always wished his own mother could have beena"helpful, interested in other people, someone who wasnat afraid to be ordinary, domestic, happy. She had no idea about the nest of yellow jackets shead just stumbled into.

Everything that used to work didnat.

Even with the air-conditioning cranked up, she was hot. She kicked the covers off during the night and lay there fuming, and during the day she wore tank shirts and boxer shorts around the house. She couldnat stand her hair touching her face and neck. She was always asweating like a hog.a One time Ava made the mistake of reminding her that hogs donat sweat. aCome over here and feel my chest, then,a Caroline snapped, which caused Ava, and everyone else, to flee the room.

She was awful to her husband. She once informed him that she never wanted to have s.e.x again a with anyone, she a.s.sured him. She couldnat stand anyone aat her, wanting something.a Then, another time, she blurted out that she felt like having s.e.x with every man she saw. Well, almost every man, she added, as if that made her statement more palatable.

aMe, too?a Vic had asked, just to humor her, she could tell, because, well, she was a sweaty hog with scary ponytails.

Even though she didnat have high expectations, when they did have s.e.x she had to conceal the feeling afterward that it hadnat been worth the bother. Maybe she was done with the whole nonsense. How depressing was that?

She was awful to her children. To her own dear children! She was used to having her hands full, but this summer, because of the older kidsa developmental lags, the adolescent desire for distance from oneas parents seemed to come over all three of her children at the same time. Caroline couldnat engage any of them in conversation. She got only monosyllabic answers to her questions, eye rolling, deep sighing. Of course, she was in demand as a driver, as there were doctoras appointments; counseling appointments; Suzias soccer practice; Avaas piano lessons and cla.s.ses at the community college, where she was finishing up her first year; carting Otis to his part-time job at McDonaldas and to Sunny Side High School, when he didnat have gas money for his Pontiac; and of course there was always shopping, laundry, meal preparation, fight refereea"but she could do all these things on autopilot. On many occasions her presence was required, and her cooperation was always expected, but she was supposed to perform her duties and stay in the background.

She often felt helplessly reduced to her childrenas level. Below their level. One time she slapped Ava in the face for getting an F on her take-home algebra exama"shead spent hours working on it and then forgotten to turn it in. Another time she scattered Suzias basket of clean laundry in the front yard because Suzi wouldnat fold it. She held her nose around Otis because he stank like McDonaldas and refused to take a shower. After these occurrences her family had to endure her self-flagellation and profuse, weepy apologies. There were more incidents like this than she cared to count.

She was awful to her poor father, who enraged her by sitting at the kitchen table, patiently drinking coffee, waiting for her to read the newspaper to him because he couldnat see well anymore, or waiting for her to take him to a doctoras appointment or out to Target or CVS or Lake Ella to look at ducks. Shead taken to hiding from him in her bedroom, wondering how it could be that she had another person to take care of, cursing her gadabout younger brother who couldnat take care of an ingrown toenail, hoping that the old man would finally give up and shuffle back downstairs to his little bedroom.

Her fatheras presence in her home was a constant reminder that shead never had a mothera"a fact that shead been more successful at suppressing when he was living back in Iowa. The old question kept resurfacinga"what had her father done to run her mother off? The answer to this question had never been obvious. Caroline had never seen him drink more than the occasional gla.s.s of wine, and there was no evidence that head spent money wildlya"but he hadnat clutched at it in a miserly way either. Head lavished love and attention on the two wivesa"one nice, one meana"that head had after Mary Conner. Head never shown signs of being a philanderer. But her mother wouldnat have left behind a nine-month-old baby girl unless Wilson had done something to force her away. Head never been willing to talk much about it, not while Caroline was growing up and not now. He didnat talk much about anything anymore. On her worst days it seemed like he was simply there in her house to remind her of her mother, to give her more work to do, and then to die where shead be the one to find him.

She was tired of being awful to the people she loved, but since she couldnat stop being awful, the only alternative was to get away from all of them. Leave them far behind so as not to expose them to her anger. Maybe this was how her own mother had felta"that her family would be better off without her. But her mother had left a tiny baby! And never came back! Caroline would only be taking a sabbatical from grown and half-grown people who either resented her or took her for granted, or botha"not leaving for good, just until she stopped wanting to slap them all silly. Suzi dismissed her. Otis patronized her. Being around Vic the way he was nowa"middle-ageda"frightened her, because when she really noticed him, she was reminded of who they used to be and never would be again. Two people whoad backpacked in New Mexico on their honeymoon. Whoad howled with wolves from a canoe in northern Minnesota. Who, when they couldnat afford cable TV, watched Lawrence Welk on Sat.u.r.day nights so they could dance to Myron Florenas accordion. Then the kids came along, and everything was different but always a new adventure. Now she felt like they were waiting for it all to be over. She couldnat wait anymore. She wouldnat. Next! But what was next? Leaving was next. It was the only option she could come up with, because she was losing her mind.

The truth was, Caroline had been losing it for a while. But she didnat want to go down without a fight.

Three years ago, when she turned forty-five, after having spent most of her life laughing at the suckers whoad buy such things, she started hemorrhaging money on expensive face creams with pseudoscientific names that promised miracles. She would apply each cream hopefully and study herself in the mirror, asking her husband periodically if she looked any different, and every time he said, aYeah, sure,a until she stopped believing him. Around this time she started wearing T-shirts with skeletons and rhinestones on them and, with her already-tattooed friend Billie, she went downtown and got the names of her three kids tattooed on her left shoulder. Her family was horrified, which pleased her.

But after a while all this age-fending-off behavior started feeling like wasted energy, a finger in the dike. The sure prospect of old age and death hits different people at different ages. For Caroline, forty-eight was the magic year. She turned forty-eight on May 2, 2006.

The day after her forty-eighth birthday, that dreadful birthday when she couldnat get out of bed, Caroline dumped all her expensive face creams in the trash and gave all her rock T-shirts to Ava, since Suzi tended more toward stripes and Nike swooshes. Thatas when she started in with the boxer shorts and tank shirts and the little ponytails and the simmering anger and longing to run away, the same shameful longing that her mother mustave felt, and then Mrs. So-called Nancy Archer appeared in her living room, the first time when Suzi invited her, the second time when she dropped by with a book about Elvisa"one of those huge coffee table books of photographs that end up in the remainder pile at Barnes & n.o.ble.

The poor woman had lugged that big useless book three blocks in the heat. She was so thin and pale and dry, and not a smear of sweat anywhere on hera"it was like she was trying to mock Caroline, who was red-faced and sweaty and not yet backa"mentally, that isa"from her morning run. She and Vic used to run together, but now, because he went in to work so early, he got up to run at five a.m. Caroline ran slower when she ran by herself, but she tried to stay in decent shape, which meant something different at age forty-eight than it did at age twenty-eight.

She didnat know what to make of this insistent old lady. Caroline didnat trust her, but what could she do but invite her in?

aWell, for a few minutes,a Nance said in her breathy voice, stepping quickly into the house.

Oh, but this was an opportunity, Caroline realized. Vic was at work, Ava supposedly studying in her room, Otis at Sunny Side High School, and Suzi at Miccosukee Middle School. Her father was in the den, and she would get to witness the meeting between Nance and her father. It would be a big moment. Either it would be a reunion between her parents, or else a first meeting of two strangers. Shead surely be able to tell which one it was when she saw it happening.