The Young Landlords

Paul wakes to commotion in his apartment in the middle of the night. He discovers that his father’s brother, Jerry, who lives in the West Virginia town where his father grew up, has died. Paul’s mother asks Paul to go with his father to the funeral. The two fly to Washington, DC and rent a car to drive to Martinsburg. Though he speaks little on the trip, Paul’s father tells him what happened when he was a teenager. The brothers stole money they found in a VA hospital. Paul got away, but guards caught Jerry, who took responsibility for the theft. This began a downward spiral for Jerry, who “never amounted to much, really” (126).

Paul meets relatives he never met before. After they return to New York, Paul wonders if his father fears that he will give up like Jerry.

When Paul arrives at The Joint the next morning, a crowd has gathered listening to Tina shout, “We all going to be dead any minute now” (130). Paul learns that Pete has a still in the basement. Pete tells Paul he will break down the still momentarily. Believing the still could explode at any moment, Tina calls the police, who arrive just as a loud noise erupts from the basement.