Sandwich

On the way back into the cottage, Rocky reveals to Nick that Maya is pregnant. Nick is offended that he’s the last to know, and Rocky loses her temper at him. She explains that he purposefully maintains an emotional distance from his family and that because of this he can’t rightfully be upset when he isn’t in the loop on emotional issues. He replies that someone must perform all the practical tasks of life without becoming mired in its struggles, and she says she doesn’t agree. She reasons that because Nick consigns himself to “practical” tasks, she’s left to do the bulk of the emotional labor of maintaining a family. However, when Nick tells her that much of this emotional labor is unnecessary, she can’t help but agree with his criticism, and the angry moment passes.

Willa and Maya are sitting together with the family cat, Chicken (who has always accompanied them on their summer trips), looking at back issues of Gourmet. Rocky’s parents intend to leave that morning as planned. Rocky is worried about her mother’s health and thinks that the two should return to the hospital to make sure that her mother is fine. Her father dismisses her fears. Although Rocky is upset, she can do little, so she accepts their decision. At breakfast, Jamie and Maya reveal that they plan to get married. Everyone congratulates them, and the mood is once more happy and festive.

When Rocky’s parents leave, everyone is a little wistful. They pack and prepare for their own departures, sad to be coming to the end of another family vacation. Rocky and Willa talk further about Rocky’s abortion, and Rocky explains how complicated her feelings were. She assures Willa that she supports women’s right to choose whether to have babies but tells her daughter that in the wake of her abortion she felt regret and grief. Willa expresses support for her mother and tells her she knows that abortion is a complex subject and that everyone’s experience of it is different.

Rocky reflects on how some wounds never truly heal. Both her children were born by C-section, and for years afterward the incisions periodically reopened. Her two unsuccessful pregnancies didn’t left physical scars, but she still bears the emotional mark of the trauma they caused her.

On the last day, they get takeout rather than making sandwiches at the cottage. Rocky is offended but tries to go with the flow. She thinks about being an empty nester: She and Nick initially struggled when their children were both out of the house. They had to develop new habits and routines, and the kids’ absence felt like a distinct, painful loss. She wonders how her own parents navigated this experience and feels grateful for the Facebook group she’s part of, full of other parents in her situation with whom she can share stories and commiserate.

Rocky and Nick are at the beach, enjoying each other’s company and engaging in their usual witty banter. Quickly, however, their conversation deteriorates into yet another petty disagreement. Rocky wishes that this didn’t keep happening but knows that not all of family life is perfect.

The family stops for ice cream on their last trip home from the beach. Everyone shares their favorite moments, and Rocky thinks back to the many vacations they’ve taken together. She knows that neither happiness nor longevity is guaranteed. Many unseen forces could have destroyed their family or cut their lives short. She’s deeply grateful for her husband and children and for all the years they’ve spent together.

Some months have passed since the vacation, and it’s the morning of Jamie and Maya’s wedding. Rocky’s mother recently passed away, and although the family is still grieving, she’s happy to see her son married to such a wonderful woman. Life is a mixture of happiness and pain, Rocky reflects, and she’s happy to be experiencing it fully.