Silent To The Bone

Margaret calls to thank her dad for the tape, which Connor finds sweet. Connor goes to see Branwell and passes along the good news that Nikki no longer needs a respirator. Realizing that Connor won’t be able to identify the man’s voice on the tape with the cards he currently has, he turns them over and writes the alphabet, pointing at each letter and waiting for Branwell to blink twice. Branwell spells “MORRIS JJS PIZZA,” which Connor figures out means a man named Morris who works at the pizza place. He and Margaret decide to go for a slice and wait for Morris to come back from his deliveries. When Morris appears, Connor observes that he has a tough exterior, complete with piercings, a mohawk, and a leather jacket. When he asks about Branwell, Morris seems to hesitate at first but then claims to know nothing and brushes Connor off. Margaret is certain that Morris is lying and becomes determined to find out what his last name is.

Morris calls Margaret but says very little, mainly wanting to know when Connor gets out of school. Margaret tells Connor about the phone call and adds that she recorded it; she invites Connor over to examine it with her. Connor heads to the Juvenile Behavioral Center to meet with Branwell but finds Morris waiting for him outside the building. Morris and Connor spend a few minutes talking, and Morris looks nervous as he tells Connor what he experienced on the day of the incident. He admits that he was at the house for romance with Vivian and that they were together in bed when they heard Branwell calling. Morris didn’t see what happened to the baby, nor did he see Branwell come home from school. Morris also reveals that Vivian is worried about losing her position as an au pair if someone reports her smoking; he also tells Connor that Branwell appears to be in love with Vivian.

Connor finds Margaret waiting and watching across the street and reports what he learned from Morris. He also mentions the bathroom and how Branwell reacted when the bath was brought up in their previous meeting. Margaret suggests creating a “BATHROOM” card to try to find out what exactly happened, but when Connor goes inside, he feels like being so direct will only push Branwell away. He decides not to use the bathroom card, bringing out the alphabet instead. Branwell spells out the name “Yolanda,” who is a local house cleaner who works for both Connor’s and Branwell’s families. Branwell opens his mouth to speak but cannot, and Connor feels like Branwell’s silence is changing.

Connor intercepts Yolanda as she waits for her bus home at the end of the day, and they ride the bus together so that he can ask her some questions. He admires Yolanda’s calm energy and slow and steady pace through which she approaches life. Connor asks Yolanda about Vivian, and she admits that she has caught Vivian smoking in the house. Yolanda also describes a few strange incidents in which Vivian seemed to leave the bathroom door open while bathing intentionally, and when Yolanda mentioned that Branwell was home, Vivian joked about “satisfying his curiosity.” Connor thanks Yolanda for the information and gets off the bus.

Connor and Margaret go out for supper to talk about the day, and Connor mentions that he decided not to use the “BATHROOM” card when he saw Branwell. He starts to believe that sometimes it is better just to listen and that doing so properly and effectively is a sort of art. Branwell and Margaret discuss the subtle difference between embarrassment and shame, and Connor believes that Branwell is ashamed of something because of how angry he became at the mention of the bathroom. Margaret thinks that Branwell was charmed by Vivian and that something happened between them in the bathroom. The thought embarrasses Connor, who wishes that he could get up and leave. Margaret explains that being infatuated with older people is a part of growing up, which further embarrasses Connor, who knows that he likes Vivian. Margaret suggests that Branwell will probably be ready to talk when Nikki is back to full health, which could take weeks or months.

Connor spends the next school day totally distracted and lost in thought and then goes to see Branwell. The woman working at the visitation center tells Connor that Branwell has spent the day being upset after being shown the depositions by various witnesses. She adds that seeing Connor always seems to cheer him up. When Connor tells Branwell about what he learned from Yolanda, Branwell spells out words that urge Connor to report Vivian’s smoking to the agency and stop her from getting another job.

Afterward, Connor goes to Margaret’s for supper again. They order pizza and request that Morris deliver it, and Connor wonders if Morris was lying about not seeing what happened in order to protect someone. When he arrives, they invite him inside, and everyone sits down at the table together. Morris reveals that he was going to Branwell’s house almost every day and admits that Vivian acted like Branwell didn’t exist when Morris was over. Branwell often took care of the baby, leaving Morris and Vivian to do what they wanted. When Margaret asks Morris what he thinks happened to Nikki, Morris starts to reply but stops himself and leaves.

Margaret believes that Branwell’s silence is either a weapon of defense or aggression and considers the fact that Branwell never told his parents about Morris’s visits. Connor realizes that Branwell went silent long before he stopped talking, and this began when Morris started visiting. Margaret and Connor go to their father to ask about the au pair agency that hired Vivian. He knows about it because he is often in touch with them for university families, and he gives Margaret their phone number and address. Connor watches his sister and father interact and notices that they are being warmer with one another. Margaret even calls her father “Dad.” Margaret and Connor’s goal is to inform the agency of Vivian’s smoking in the hope that she will be fired and have no choice but to return to England.

Connor thinks about the pain and effort of waiting and how it can be harder depending on what a person is waiting for. He sees waiting for Nikki to regain health as the hardest thing to wait for, and waiting for Branwell to speak is a close second. Connor is approaching a tough week at school, and Branwell’s continued silence is weighing on him. When he goes to visit, his exhaustion and irritation are clear, and Branwell is agitated as well, but for totally different reasons. Branwell tries to tell Connor to contact the au pair agency urgently and tell them about Vivian’s smoking, but Connor explains that the agency is closed for the weekend. Branwell continues saying the same thing over and over, and the meeting goes nowhere.

Margaret writes a letter to send to the au pair agency and faxes it to her dad, who calls it quite professional. The letter indicates Nikki’s injuries under Vivian’s care and the fact that she is no longer working for the Zamborska family. Connor hates the letter at first because it doesn’t mention Vivian’s smoking, but when he thinks about it, he realizes that there’s no proof. When he thinks back to his first conversation with Morris, it occurs to him that Morris knows where Vivian is and that Margaret intends to send Morris a copy of the letter. When Connor takes the letter to Branwell, Branwell seems upset that Vivian might still be able to find another job and even looks like he’s about to cry.