The Leavers

Daniel has enrolled in Carlough College’s summer session, taking classes in Peter and Kay’s departments. It’s eight hours of lecture every day and Daniel finds it isolating. Although his relationship with his adoptive parents proceeds with wariness, Daniel watches a YouTube concert with Peter. At Carlough, Daniel takes classes with an old classmate named Amber, who invites him to an open mic. Daniel says he’ll go but doesn’t want to spend time with his old classmates.

Daniel then meets up with another old acquaintance, Cody, who wants to move to Colorado. They smoke marijuana and Daniel misses Roland. He and Cody go to the open mic, although Daniel is supposed to be writing an essay for one of his classes. While at the open mic, Daniel reflects that he tried to bury his past until he saw the Chinese woman at the mall. He decides to play guitar when he returns home. Angel emails him that night, telling him not to contact her. She wishes him well, so Daniel feels encouraged, despite the actual message. He sends her a message telling her that he will do better for her.

It is Father’s Day and Kay is discussing her awkwardness as a mother when Daniel first came to live with them. Daniel doesn’t know how to respond when Kay shows herself vulnerable: “[H]e always felt implicated, like there was some expectation he wasn’t meeting” (256). Kay gives him a folder of Daniel’s adoption records, and Daniel tells her of how his mother left and how Vivian sent him to be adopted. He tells Kay that his mother may have been deported. Kay asks about his mother and informs him that she has heard from Charles, Angel’s boyfriend, about Daniel owing Angel money. Daniel wonders how much she knows about his debt to Angel.

Daniel finishes the summer term and passes his classes. Roland messages him, and Daniel regrets both leaving the city and pushing his mother away. He begins writing confessional songs that are “honest and unguarded” (259). Satisfied, Daniel shows one of his songs to Cody, who doesn’t pay attention and chooses to talk about how assimilated Daniel is now. Daniel looks through his adoption folder and finds a picture of his mother. He tries to call her but receives no answer. He registers for the fall. His adoptive parents take him out to eat and Peter mentions his great-great grandfather, which makes Daniel think he’d have never been accepted by his great-great grandfather for his cultural difference. While working on a song, Daniel grows frustrated and falls into playing online poker and is caught by Peter. The next morning Daniel leaves Ridgeborough.