- Our narrator's on the road with his dad and brothers, pulling an all-nighter to get to the boat. This is one of those dads who doesn't like making stops.
- They're in Florida, headed south of Miami. The narrator notices his dad is looking old.
- The reason the fellas are headed toward the boat is because dear old dad has decided they're going sailing. For a whole year.
- Our narrator has a name: Ben. Ben is not excited about this boat trip.
- The family finally hits a motel. Everyone starts to go to sleep…until dad leaves the room for a cry.
- Ben can't sleep. The youngest brother, Gerry, wakes up from a nightmare. He's dreaming about his mother. Now Gerry's crying, too. This family seems super bummed in general.
- Unable to sleep, Ben's flashing back to the day his mother died. So that's why everyone's so unhappy. It was a car crash, btw.