The History of Love

Leo and Bruno are studying the train departure times at Grand Central Station. The train they hope to take leaves in three minutes, and the two old men do their best to run and catch the train. At the last minute, Bruno stops abruptly, and Leo rushes through the train doors a moment before they close. Bruno tricked him into getting on the train alone.

Leo knew where Isaac lived and had imagined going to his house many times. Since Isaac’s childhood, Leo would keep track of where his son lived and chart the distance between their two homes. Isaac’s final house is in Connecticut, and Leo takes the train and a taxi to reach it. He unlocks the back door and lets himself in. Leo is overwhelmed to find himself surrounded by his son’s things. He smells Isaac’s coat, puts it on, and slips his feet into Isaac’s shoes. Dressed in his son’s clothes, Leo wanders through the house, examining Isaac’s things. He removes the spoiled food from the fridge and washes the single dish in the sink, imagining what his son’s life had been like and what he was doing when he died.

Leo continues to wander through the house, hoping for some sign that Isaac read Words for Everything before he died, but there is nothing.