Ordinary People: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

Ward, Audrey, Beth, and Cal spend the evening outdoors, watching Charlie and Kerry swim in the backyard pool. Cal has just finished the golf tournament in third place. Everyone congratulates him, but he gently rejects their praise (secretly, he wishes he'd won). Ward suggests that the group go out to dinner to celebrate, and he and Audrey head into the house to prepare for their night out.

Cal and Beth have a pleasant exchange about the tournament. Beth even suggests that she and Cal play together more; she suggests a golf vacation for the coming summer. Cal agrees – and adds that Conrad might like the idea as well. The last comment annoys Beth, who points out Cal's habit of mentioning "him" (she never refers to Conrad by name) when they make plans. After a while Ward returns to the backyard to announce that the night's dinner plans are set.

In the Butlers' living room, they and the Jarretts have had a few more rounds of drinks before dinner, during which Cal has allowed himself to get drunk. He and Beth are no longer sitting by one another; their earlier disagreement has grown into a grudge. Soon Ward and Audrey wander into the garage in search of more alcohol. Silence lingers between Beth and Cal, but Cal provokes her into continuing the argument they'd started hours before. Beth finally voices her annoyance with talking about Conrad so frequently – again, she doesn't call him by name. Cal notes that they rarely actually talk about Conrad. He thinks that another, deeper problem persists between them.

Beth rails against Cal's moping. She blames him for wanting to dampen her mood. Cal doesn't understand why Beth is so angry at him, but she states her belief that Cal blames her for Conrad's suicide attempts. The admission shakes her; she bursts into tears. Cal goes over to his wife and tries to comfort her, but she rejects his "false sympathy." She insists that she doesn't need his help. She can help herself.

Ward and Audrey stand by the living room door, not wanting to intrude on the situation, but Beth addresses them. She saw Conrad's attempted suicide as an attempt to manipulate her emotions; it seemed like an elaborate accusation against her. Though Cal tries to persuade Beth that her view of the situation is too selfish, she believes that her perspective is completely honest, however horrible it seems. She adds that she doesn't hate Conrad, as Cal believes. As she puts it, "Mothers don't hate their sons!" She is offended by the idea that Conrad would think she hates him. She also feels that Cal understands Conrad's needs far more than he understands her own.

Ward tries to soothe his sister. He expresses the desire for her, Cal, and Conrad to be happy. The word triggers her; she lashes out at Ward, sarcastically urging him to obsess over his sons' safety. Cal, meanwhile, silently recalls three distinct moments: knocking on his locked bathroom door, begging Conrad to let him in; seeing Conrad lying motionless in bed at the hospital; Conrad standing on the dock shortly after Buck's drowning, apologizing to his parents over and over again. He realizes that Conrad's attempted suicide has changed Beth, but he isn't sure how.