A.J. reviews Grace Paley’s “A Conversation with My Father.” The briefest of A.J.’s review thus far, he mentions that the short story is about a “dying father” who fights with his daughter about the craft of storytelling (205). He insists Maya will like this story.

Maya is now 14 and resents being cooped up above the bookstore all the time. She works on an assignment for her creative writing class which calls for her to discuss someone she wishes to know better. She tries to write about her father but struggles with so little information on which to base the essay. Maya explains the assignment to Amelia who suggests she write about her mother. Maya feels this is too “obvious” and doesn’t seem to want to reward her mother with any space on the page or in her life (209). Amelia, how has just lost her own mother, defends Marian.

At dinner, A.J. suggests Maya write about Daniel, since he was her “first literary crush” (210). Maya storms out, insulted that everyone is joking about her problem. She “bangs her knee on a bookshelf” on the way out, causing her to angrily point out the close living quarters (210). A.J. decides he needs to re-invigorate his search for a bigger house.