Funny Story

Julia confidently tells Daphne and Ashleigh that she plans to move to Waning Bay but worries about burdening Miles. Throughout her life, he’s put his needs aside to care for her, and Julia doesn’t want Miles to worry about her anymore. Though they promise not to tell him, Daphne encourages Julia to share her feelings with Miles because he thinks he’s failed her as a brother. Julia not so subtly suggests that she’s not the only one who has something to tell Miles. Ashleigh and Julia convince Daphne that she can no longer ignore the wedding stash, citing that “Pandora’s box has been opened” (229). They agree to help her catalog, photograph, and list the items online for sale.

In an act of closure, Daphne tries on her wedding gown one last time and remembers when she and her mother purchased it. She had wanted a simple, inexpensive gown, but Peter’s mother encouraged her to shop at boutiques. The vintage dress was way over her budget, but her mother insisted on buying it for her. Daphne felt guilty, knowing how much her mother had already sacrificed for her. Daphne emerges from the bathroom in her dress, looking for Ashleigh and Julia, but runs right into Miles instead. She embarrassingly claims she was trying it on for the others, but he tells her she looks beautiful. Daphne runs to the bathroom to remove the dress, but the zipper gets stuck, and she can’t get it off.

Miles awkwardly offers to help Daphne with the zipper, but he can’t get it past the snap. He asks for ChapStick to grease the zipper, but it won’t budge. They move to his bedroom for more space, and Daphne must lean over the dresser for him to get more leverage to move the zipper. Finally, the zipper gives, and the dress falls off Daphne, but she catches it just before she’s fully exposed. Miles lends her his favorite T-shirt, and they move closer, almost kissing. She tells him he’s the most genuinely lovely person she’s ever known, and he compares her to the “cool and refreshing” Lake Michigan (242). Searching for a distraction, Daphne asks him how he feels about Julia staying, and they both agree that they like having her around.

Daphne’s been eying a cottage she loves, but it’s still out of her price range when she checks the listing. The barista at the coffee shop now knows her name and order, making her a regular. She thinks, “I can almost see it. I can almost see a life here” (246). At poker night, Daphne pushes Ashleigh to make plans to celebrate her upcoming 43rd birthday. Ashleigh says she has nothing to celebrate since she’s in the same spot she was a year ago, just minus the husband. However, Barb counters that she’s done a lot, like ending an unhappy marriage, shepherding her son through the transition, and making a new friend in Daphne. Since Ashleigh’s husband never let her paint, Daphne offers to help her paint a room to celebrate her birthday.

When their regular Sunday plans get rained out, Miles asks Daphne to take off work on Thursday to reschedule, so she goes out for coffee before their surprise outing. Daphne’s father rarely calls, and when he calls, she is surprised. She texts him that she will call him later but forgets, and he responds, verifying her address. When she returns to the apartment from the coffee shop, her father is there to surprise her, and he’s with a woman.

Daphne’s dad, Jason, is visiting Vermont with his new wife, Starfire, Jason’s life coach. Daphne is surprised she’s not decades younger than him. Miles serves them wine and helps Daphne navigate the awkward conversation. Starfire assumes that Daphne and Miles are a couple, but they both assure them they’re just friends. Jason and Starfire already have a motel room, but they want to spend time with Daphne. She invites them to tag along for their outing. When Miles says they need swimsuits, Julia chimes in that they must be going on the boat.

Miles borrows a pontoon boat from a friend on one of the smaller lakes near Lake Michigan. Everyone dives in the water for a swim, and Jason tells a story about how Daphne was afraid of swimming because of fish. He shares a story about taking her fishing and buying her a yellow sun hat, but Daphne has no memory of the event. Starfire claims the cold water feels like a “rebirth,” and Daphne has to agree as she feels like she is going through a season of change. At dinner, Jason relates how Daphne loved going to the library as a kid because he couldn’t afford to buy her books, but she could have as many as she wanted there. Daphne remembers that she longed to show her dad all her books but found him flirting with the librarian he later dated.

Feeling overwhelmed with emotions, Daphne escapes to the bathroom. Miles comes to check on her, and she claims that she wants to believe that her father has changed but fears being disappointed by him like she was so many times as a child. Miles hugs her, and she feels safe in his embrace, wishing they could be together. Jason pays for dinner, and they watch fireworks from the beach near the lake. Daphne considers how her life is going well in Waning Bay and, for the first time, admits to herself that she could stay there.

Daphne feels bad that Jason and Starfire are staying at a bed-bug-infested motel, so they make room to stay in the apartment. Jason and Starfire take her room, Julia and Daphne sleep in Miles’s room, and he sleeps on the couch. Daphne asks Julia if something happened in Chicago, but she doesn’t answer. However, the next day, Julia abruptly flies back to Chicago. Daphne takes her dad and Starfire to Cherry Hill, and after Miles gets off work, he joins them for wine. Daphne’s father asks her about her job, and she is genuinely touched that he cares so much about her career. He suggests to Starfire that they could be happy living in Waning Bay and toasts to their “family.”

Ashleigh calls in sick, leaving Daphne to manage story time alone when a raging storm outside has filled the library. Miles arrives alone and tells Daphne that her dad and Starfire have left town to visit friends and left a note at the apartment. Miles tries to comfort her, but she tells him, “I don’t need you to babysit me” (286), and he leaves feeling hurt. Daphne returns to the apartment and overhears Miles having a tense conversation on the phone. She tells him she doesn’t want to talk about her father and asks him to take her somewhere she’s never been. Miles drives them to a secluded beach, and Daphne strips off her clothes and wades in the water. Miles joins her, and they hold each other in the water.

When they return to the apartment, they can hardly control themselves. After ripping off each other’s clothes, they have sex in the kitchen. Afterward, Daphne laughs but tells Miles it’s just because she’s giddy with happiness. Miles makes them chocolate chip pancakes and asks if she can talk about her dad. She explains that she fears vulnerability in relationships because she doesn’t want her partner to know how much her father’s inconsistency and lack of care hurt her. Miles says it hurts him when she doesn’t allow him to see all of her. He explains that what he likes most about her is that she sees him as a complete person and wants all of him, wounds and all.

After sleeping late, Miles and Daphne spend a glorious Sunday lounging, walking through town, visiting the farmers market, and having sex in Miles’s bed. Daphne wonders how Miles inspires her to experience pleasure in new ways, and she feels like each moment with him is a dream. She stifles the words “I love you” (303), feeling that their situation is still complicated.

Daphne leaves Miles sleeping in bed while she dresses for work. On her way out the door, she spots her father’s note and throws it in the trash without reading it. Suddenly, she remembers that she was supposed to hang out with Ashleigh on Saturday. When she sees Ashleigh at work, it’s evident that she’s hurt. Daphne tries to explain what happened, and Ashleigh responds that Daphne is now, for sure, a “we-girl” since she has Miles. Daphne sincerely apologizes, but Ashleigh remains distant the entire day. Miles is supposed to pick Daphne up from work, but he stands her up, and the old familiar feelings of her father’s abandonment creep in. Miles texts that something came up but gives no further explanation. Miles calls, but she misses the call, and the day's events make her not want to go home. Her phone rings again, and the Ocean City Public Library is calling to set up an interview. Daphne agrees to schedule a phone interview because she was wrong about staying in Waning.