Chapter Twenty: S-O-L-A-R

Summary

• The narrator begins by reflecting on a voicemail suggesting an affair between their father and a woman named Anjeli, but considers innocent explanations, including a travel agent or caterer planning a surprise for their mother.
• Upon finding Anjeli's house and a "We love you, Anjeli!" sign, the narrator eliminates the potential of innocent explanations for their father's secret calls.
• The narrator describes a photo of Anjeli, who appears to have a close and intimate relationship with their father, and ponders their concept of their parents' relationship and its changes over time.
• The narrator contemplates their parents' affection, specifically towards their brother Eugene, who has special needs, and wonders if their father's connection with Anjeli is related to this world.
• When their mother approaches, the narrator hides evidence of their father's apparent infidelity, including a yellow heart identical to a Mother's Day gift given to their mother.
• The mother notices a diploma revealing Anjeli's identity and occupation as a speech therapist, leading to the discovery that she has been seeing their brother Eugene for therapy sessions.
• It is disclosed that Eugene has been undergoing a specialized text-based communication therapy despite their father's previous opposition to such methods.
• The family discovers that Anjeli uses videotaped therapy sessions and try to access the recordings with a password hint found by the narrator.
• They succeed in accessing the therapy session recordings and watch in disbelief as Eugene communicates by spelling out words using a form of facilitated communication.
• The narrator expresses skepticism about the authenticity of the communication, considering the possibility of trickery akin to the historical example of Clever Hans, the calculating horse.
• John explains the therapeutic process as scaffolding, where support is reduced as the patient gains skill, analogous to Eugene progressing in his ability to communicate through gross motor skills.
• While watching a therapy video, they witness a warm interaction between Anjeli and their father, which suggests a level of intimacy and shared joy over Eugene's progress.
• Despite witnessing Eugene's progress in communication, the chapter ends on a note of devastation, as the narrator grapples with the implications of Anjeli's relationship with their father and the heartbreak of Eugene's continued silence about their father's disappearance.
• The chapter closes with the chilling possibility that Eugene may be consciously choosing not to communicate about their father's fate.