Cliff — Chapter 31 Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
The chapter opens three days after Cliff and Michelle's last conversation. Cliff is exhausted and missing her, but his immediate focus is on driving his daughters, Brittany and Emily, to the bus station for their Thanksgiving trip to New York. The mood in the truck is heavy: Brittany slumps in her seat clutching her stuffed unicorn, and Emily wears headphones, her lips pressed thin. Cliff tries to lighten things by asking if they're ready, but Emily's flat response and Brittany's worried question about whether Rocket will forget her reveal the tension.
At the station, Cliff helps with their luggage—Emily's black duffel bag covered in key chains and patches, Brittany's sparkly pink rolling suitcase—and carries a small box of pastries for their trip. The bus is already waiting, and Cliff feels the unfairness of having only minutes with them. He commands hugs, and both girls barrel into him. Emily, who has been angry with him since Halloween, finally hugs him again and apologizes, admitting she doesn't even remember why she was mad. Brittany asks what if she doesn't want to go, and Cliff reassures her about the parade. Emily punches him playfully and says she'll miss him.
After loading their bags and handing off the pastries, Cliff watches from the ground as the bus pulls away. He waves until it's out of sight, then stands alone in the wind before returning to his truck, where he rests his forehead on the steering wheel and lets the horn echo. The knot in his gut tightens painfully.
Unable to cope, Cliff walks back to the bus depot and calls Michelle at Bird & Breakfast from a pay phone. Her voice immediately slows his heart. He admits he dropped the girls off and isn't doing well. Michelle distracts him with small talk—her dad Paulie playing chess with a guest, Lisa and George helping set up place mats, Lisa complaining about silverware. Cliff laughs and says he wishes he could be there. Michelle then asks directly why he's really calling. Cliff admits the girls left and he's not okay, and that they haven't talked in days. He lies about why he ran to the phone, saying he forgot something, though he suspects she can tell.
Michelle steps outside, describing the breeze that smells like fall and Christmas. Cliff jokes that the bus stop smells like garbage, and Michelle teases that he did