The Summer of the Swans

At the end of the night, Wanda arrives home from her date and finds Sara still awake. Wanda turns on the radio, waiting to hear her boyfriend dedicate a song to her. She then gushes over Frank’s baby nephew whom they visited after their trip to the lake. Sara voices reservations about Frank, citing his condescending use of “little one” for Wanda. More importantly, Sara feels that he doesn’t pay enough attention to Charlie. Aunt Willie chastises the girls for “arguing” from her room; they insist that they’re not. As the sisters prepare for bed, Sara—who sleeps against the wall adjoining Charlie’s room—hears the younger’s pre-sleep routine, moving his leg to a steady rhythm. This behavior began after a bout of childhood illness and was indicative of his recovery after a period of incapacitation. The sound, which used to be reassuring to Sara, now irritates her.

Charlie lies awake in bed, a common problem of his. Earlier in the evening, he sought help from both Aunt Willie and Sara, wanting to fix a missing button on his pajamas. Distracted by the TV, Aunt Willie assured him that she’d fix it the following day. Sara preemptively discouraged him from asking for help as she was busy re-dying her shoes with Mary.