The Boy in the Black Suit

The morning after Thanksgiving, Matt oversleeps. He calls his father to apologize for not visiting, but his father says it’s a good thing Matt did not visit because the rehab’s Thanksgiving dinner made him sick; he was up all night with digestive difficulties. Matt dresses for work, but when he finds Mr. Ray outside on Mr. Ray’s stoop, he learns there is no work that day. Mr. Ray tells Matt he is not angry about seeing Candy Man on the news, and he's sad to see Candy Man that way. Mr. Ray is now mellow after the upsetting circumstances of the holiday: “Well, after yesterday and last night, I think I’m just gonna sit right here and enjoy the sunshine” (210). Matt joins him, but soon Love texts and invites him over.

Matt meets up with Chris on the way and introduces him to Love when they arrive at her building. Chris smiles charmingly and shakes Love’s hand, then goes on to the barbershop. Inside, Love serves orange juice and tells Matt he must be happy to be off work. He says he likes work, which leads to a discussion of his emotional healing when he attends others’ funerals and sees mourners going through grief like him.