Tunes for Bears to Dance To

Each Sunday, Henry and his mother take the bus to their old town, Monument, to visit Eddie’s grave. They never return to their old neighborhood, which Henry’s mother claims holds too many memories. Eddie reflects on the word both of them avoid—“sad.” It’s as if Eddie’s death has wiped out anything good that happened in Monument.

Henry wonders why they bother coming to the cemetery, especially since there is no headstone for Eddie’s grave. His mother promises they will have one when Henry’s father is working again; she also hopes he’ll win at his card games, making a “killing.” Henry thinks Eddie’s gravestone should include a bat and a ball, causing his mother to laugh and agree. After all, Henry reasons, their priest allows markers in the shape of lambs and teddy bears in the children’s section of the graveyard. He learns from his mother that his father is seeing a doctor for his depression and wonders why this was kept a secret from him. He has his own secrets, including how much he misses his friends Leo and Nicky and his bad dreams about an atomic bomb.