We The Animals

Paps leaves the family and Ma is despondent. She doesn’t go to work, or cook for the boys, or eat. The boys begin to eat things that have sat forgotten in the refrigerator. Ma’s supervisor at the beer factory, Lina, calls to check in. They can’t hear each other, so Lina comes over.

When Lina, a tall, stout Chinese woman, arrives at the house, the boys tell her she is too big to get in the door, but she manages to push her way inside. She brings a brown grocery bag and tells the boys not to open it yet. Manny tells her that Ma is sleeping.

The brothers grab the bag of groceries and tear it open, shoving bread into their mouths and drinking out of the milk carton. They stare at Lina while they do this, challenging her to stop the chaos. Then Ma rushes into the room and hugs her supervisor. Lina wipes Ma’s tears with a tissue. She begins to plant kisses all over Ma’s face, and then kisses and holds her lips against Ma’s. The room is silent.