Chapter Five: Requiem

Summary

• The narrator reflects on the experience of waking up in a liminal state between sleep and reality, especially after a traumatic event.
• The narrator didn't use the snooze button the morning after their father didn't come home, instantly recalling the worry once awake.
• Memories emerge of the narrator's brother, Eugene, who is autistic, and a specific disturbing scream he produced as a child when their grandmother died.
• Eugene's initial lack of crying as a baby and his eventual scream, which he repeated the morning after their grandmother's death, are described in vivid detail.
• Eugene's vocal expressions became a normalized part of the family's life after his autism diagnosis, though not as intense as the initial screams.
• The narrator is reminded of the traumatic scream when Eugene repeats it after the disappearance of their father, reinforcing the concern for their father's well-being.
• In Eugene's room, with their mother comforting him, the siblings sense her command to remain quiet about their father's absence.
• The narrator speculates about the significance of Eugene's scream, suggesting it could indicate that something bad has happened to their father.
• John, the narrator's other brother, dismisses the significance of the scream, believing their father is fine, causing tension between them.
• Anxiety heightens as they receive a phone call, revealing that some people had seen their father and Eugene the day before.
• The missing father's absence affects their daily toothbrushing ritual, a bonding tradition within the family, leaving a noticeable void.
• The narrator sends a ritualistic text message to their father and receives a typing indication in response, leading them to believe their father is alive and well.
• However, the response is just "Who is this?" indicating that the fate of their father remains unknown and heightening the narrator's emotional distress.