An argument the last day of family vacation over the sweet happy holidays in the backseat driving home from freezing Northampton, coffee in a chain, and Forbes Library with dad before the drive and the argument; it spilled down the cleared walk shoveled, dad aspired to environmentally friendly salt; it trembled into the living room from the walk and became public; and Susan Sontag died one son read on his phone shared with the rest in front of the still-sparkling tree before the window, and the balcony ice hadn’t melted; sister-in-law attempted mediation; a simple, stupid argument about whether or not they should attend the seminar while parents visiting an escape from winter; he doesn’t want to and his wife wants him to and the argument was stupid and simple and it didn’t help that an old girlfriend called and suggested coffee and the wife caught him talking on his cell in a dark, cold room upstairs even though he said he couldn’t and agreed, yes, it was too bad; snippiness trebled throughout the house on the last, hens pecking ankles over morsels; then they ignored it; his brother argued with his own wife over departure time, their son’s bite of turkey he’s supposed to be vegan.
