How to Read a Book

Kristy makes a surprise visit, and Frank makes lunch and reminisces about when he and Kristy used to cook together, but she wants to talk about the choir director sending her flowers for not giving her a solo. Frank says Baker said sending flowers is no longer done. Kristy wonders why Frank is asking about sending flowers to someone. She asks if the “someone” is someone she should know about. Frank tries to talk her down, but Kristy is insistent. She confesses that Lorraine told her that Frank was unfaithful. He tries to explain, denying that he ever cheated. Kristy claims that his strange behavior at the funeral and during the trial is evidence of his betrayal. Hearing Kristy’s accusations reminds Frank of when Lorraine confessed her affair with the dog trainer. He cried for days, but eventually, his grief turned to anger. The night he found the card for the divorce lawyer, he made her sleep in the guest bedroom. She died the next day. In the present, Kristy is angry, and Frank doesn’t have the heart to tell his beloved daughter the truth about her mom. Instead, he empathetically offers, “I’m sorry for your loss” (147). Kristy sends Frank flowers the next day, making him miss Lorraine and his daughter.