Everybody

One Somebody, now a Cousin, greets Everybody. Another Somebody becomes Kinship. Cousin offers Everybody food and drink, time to share secrets, and everything except sex. Everybody asks Cousin to accompany them into death. Cousin is terrified that Everybody’s instructions came from Death, reassures Everybody that “a defining feature of this family is our sort of vague inner strength,” and adds, “I’m absolutely 100% positive that you’ll find some family member other than me because I’m not going with you I’m sorry I’m just your cousin” (31).

Everybody asks Kinship, and Kinship also demurs, pretending not to understand Everybody’s pleading, announcing that they need to take a little girl in the audience to the bathroom, and dragging her off as she screams for her mother. Everybody complains bitterly that the promised bond of kinship isn’t real. Cousin interjects: “Real talk, cousin to cousin. Don’t you think you’re being sort of the asshole right now?” (33)—it isn’t fair to insult people for not being ready to die. Additionally, Cousin needs to work on their own presentation, now that they know about it. Cousin wonders if God wants them to spend more time talking about God.