The Prayer Box

In the Bink’s Market parking lot, Ross pulls up and watches with suspicion as Tandi talks with Paul. To diffuse the tension, Tandi loudly thanks Paul for information about her son, J.T., but Ross possessively interrupts and says she is coming with him to a job fixing a faucet and then to the beach to surf with his friends. Tandi gets into his truck, and he speeds away.

In the truck, Tandi and Ross argue about her conversation with Paul, and Ross drives recklessly. During the ride, Tandi thinks about her difficult past and Trammel. Ross is suspicious, asking whether Paul had been at her house, and Tandi feels the old pressure of being blamed or controlled. Their tense dynamic eases only slightly when Ross drops her off, promising to return in 45 minutes.

Tandi goes to Iola’s house, where she again finds that the one-eared cat has turned on a faucet upstairs. After securing the faucets with ribbon, Tandi notices a closet door in the blue room is slightly ajar. Inside, she discovers the closet is filled from floor to ceiling with a collection of decorated boxes.