On Monday morning, Elliott struggles to get ready for school; he forgot to do laundry on Thursday, so he has no clean socks, and he keeps getting distracted looking through one of Griffin Connor’s cookbooks. Nina comes in and says that Elliott is 20 minutes behind schedule. He is going to miss the bus, so she has to drive him to school. She texts someone—likely her boss—and Elliott apologizes. He is embarrassed and angry that he can’t remember things. When he covers his face, Nina realizes that he is overwhelmed and helps him calm down. Sometimes Elliott tries to reject her affection, but Nina understands that this stems from his age and the outward appearance that he is trying to emit, and she does not take it personally. Then, she fetches him a pair of orange socks covered in koalas. Elliott eats the breakfast burrito Nina made for him while they are driving, and he apologizes again for making them late. He feels better after sitting in the car and eating—“[t]hat’s just how it is with Mom and me” (56).