Son of a Trickster

Jared spends 45 minutes on a bus to Terrace to visit his father, only to find out from his stepsister Destiny that Phil is in the hospital again because of his back. They deposit the rent money Jared has brought to the office, then take a taxi to Walmart to buy groceries. He only sees Shirley, “the woman who broke up his parents’ marriage” (56), when she drunkenly enters the kitchen for a glass of water. 

Jared then goes to the hospital to visit his dad, who has an old back injury and is also recovering from opioid addiction. Phil tries to lighten the mood with wry jokes, but Jared does not have much to say. When Jared tells Phil that Maggie is “the same,” Phil says: “Well, that’s life with a witch, huh?” (57). Jared remembers that when his father first hurt himself on the job, Phil’s disability checks were not enough to pay the mortgage and bills, but Maggie insisted they keep the house. Phil then met Shirley in physical therapy, and Maggie and Phil divorced soon after. Jared remembers Phil visiting him in the hospital after the “whole mess” with David, suggesting David abused him.