Brother

Michael hangs out in Misty’s room while she repeatedly plays Neil Diamond’s “Cherry, Cherry.” Reb enters the room drunk, causing Michael to remember how his brother acts when he drinks alcohol. Once, during dinner, Reb stood on his chair and claimed the family treated him like an abused “slave.” Momma told him to get his boots off the chair. Reb says Michael doesn’t have a chance with Alice because he lacks Reb’s romantic skills.

After grabbing duct tape, the brothers drive to the house with green shutters. Reb goes in alone, and Michael imagines the woman’s tough husband easily neutralizing Reb. He also pictures the woman fending off Reb, and Michael letting her escape if she kills Reb.

Michael wanders outside for 10 minutes before entering the home. He hears the woman call Reb “Michael,” and he sees Reb sexually assaulting her. The woman has reddish-blond hair, and she wears a necklace with a golden “M” on it. As they drag the woman to the car, she fights. In the car, Michael asks why she called Reb “Michael.” Reb laughs.

The chapter returns to the siblings’ childhood. When Lauralynn discovered her missing rabbits, Reb acted ignorant. The siblings helped Lauralynn look for them, and at dinner, Lauralynn boldly blamed Momma. Reb thought about exposing Michael but kept it a secret. He didn’t think his parents would punish Michael, and he could use the knowledge to manipulate Michael.

Momma violently assaulted Lauralynn. Wade told the other siblings to go to their rooms. Reb tried to intervene, but Momma dismissed him. Later, Momma said they sent Lauralynn to live with the grandparents in North Carolina. Reb knew the truth—he looked out his window and saw proof that Wade and Momma killed her. Reb stared at his reflection. He suppressed his grief and saw a “sinister smile” appear. He vowed never to “forgive” Momma.

After, Momma tells Michael to bring her a “flank.” Michael takes the woman, now dead, into the storm cellar. He counts 18 stab wounds and notes Momma’s fondness for knives. He also remembers Reb telling him that Grandpa Eugene did “bad things” to Momma while Grandma Jean ignored the abuse. Michael thinks of the Morrows as “angels.” They made him a member of their family and shielded him from danger.

As Michael cuts the woman’s underwear, he has sexual feelings. He imagines Alice as the dead woman and Reb sexually assaulting Alice. As he dissects and disembowels the body, he goes on “autopilot.” The process used to take him six hours; he now does it in less than three. He saves a thigh for Momma but doesn’t imagine what Momma will do with it. Once again, he notes that the Morrows don’t have many resources. After he’s finished, he uses a nail to make a mark on his bedroom wall; there are almost 30 notches, so he’s participated in around 30 murders.

Reb and Michael drive to the Dervish, and Michael becomes anxious that Alice will discover his brutal life. Michael wonders if Reb thinks about stopping. He mentions Alice’s desire to move. Reb says people like them stay where they are and claims he wouldn’t leave his family. He reminds Michael that no shackles or handcuffs prevent Michael from cutting ties with the Morrows.

Reb gives Michael 10 dollars, so Michael takes Alice to McDonald’s for her lunch break. Alice orders a Happy Meal and wears the Ronald McDonald sunglasses that come with it. They discuss The Shining, leaving Dahlia, and Michael’s David Bowie shirt. Alice thinks the Bowie shirt matches Michael’s personality: Michael is the strangest person she’s met and makes her think of Bowie’s song, “Space Oddity.” They kiss, and Michael wishes he could tell Alice about the time he was 10 and had to “field dress” a dead body.

Back at the record store, Reb notes Michael’s birthday, and because he’s adopted, the uncertain date. Upset that Reb brought up his adopted status, Michael leaves. In the car, Reb suggests making Alice a part of the family—that’s what he’s doing with Lucy, who has the strawberry-blond hair favored by Momma. Reb also admits that he likes Lucy.

At home, Momma serves beef stew, but it’s summer, so Michael is too hot to enjoy it. Reb excuses himself and goes someplace secret.