Past the old dictionary, presenting yellowed pages at an angle on its wrought-iron stand; past the even older organ that he and Justin would pretend to play until told to stop; past the huge, panoramic art piece that always reminded him of the coast up in Maine. Through this gauntlet of memories, he walked, behind his mother, toward the dinner table. Toward the tribunal, convened to adjudicate his impending familial trajectory, and catered with take-out Chinese food.