Redhead by the Side of the Road

The theme of misconceptions persists in Chapters 5 and 6. At the beginning of Chapter 5, Micah makes several misconceptions in quick succession. He mistakes the frost on the ground for a trick of the early morning lighting, he mistakes the same fire hydrant for a small redheaded child, and he mistakes Lorna for Cass upon arriving home from his jog. The continued misconceptions Micah makes show that his first impression or first perception of things in his life are often incorrect. In Chapter 6, this contributes to the soured interaction he has with Cass while delivering her belongings. When Cass indicates she should have remembered to grab her things last time she was at Micah’s apartment, Micah does not take this as a hint that she already knew they were breaking up. Instead, he tries consoling her by saying she had no way of knowing they’d break up. Micah’s perception is that Cass decided later that she no longer wanted to be with Micah, and Micah does not take this opportunity to adjust his perception of that night. He even insists that they were “having a perfectly nice evening” (136), to which Cass reminds him that he suggested she live in her car. This forces Micah to apologize and reevaluate his perception of the night as well as the joke he made. Still, even with this moment of reflection, Micah misreads Cass’s intentions when she disingenuously remarks that it was “pretty dumb” of her to try to “change the rules” (137). Micah again misreads the cues, taking this as genuine regret, and replies that it’s “no problem” (137), further souring Cass’s already cold reception of him. This scene perfectly illustrates Micah’s inability to place himself in the shoes of others and shows how stunted Micah’s emotional intelligence has become after years of keeping people at arm’s length. 

Micah seems to recognize this distance he’s created, as illustrated through his daydream during his morning jog in Chapter 5. While the early morning streets are still empty, Micah imagines what life would be like if humanity were suddenly wiped out overnight. He wonders, “How long would it take him to realize something had happened?” (95). He imagines a night of playing spider solitaire, slowly becoming aware that no one was going to be calling or coming by. Later in the chapter, Micah recalls his previous evening, where he played “too many games of spider” (117), which shows that his imagined evening without anyone else in the world looks a lot like his lonely reality. The question about how long it would take to realize things also underscores how slow Micah is in understanding what’s right in front of him.

Chapters 5-6 do foster growth for Micah, who has previously resisted change within both his own life and his perception of others. Micah’s unwillingness to adjust his perceptions is illustrated through his frequent mistaking of the fire hydrant for a small redheaded child as well as his memory of Lorna shortly after their breakup. Micah recalls his friends informing him of Lorna’s sexual habits and drinking habits, to which he obstinately responded that Lorna doesn’t drink and maintained denial about the things his friends told him. After meeting up with Lorna again, Micah learns that she did “[play] the field” (106) and abandon her strict principles after their breakup. It’s the first time he’s forced to reevaluate his perception of Lorna since their college days. This parallels how he believed, before their breakup, that Cass was fine maintaining separate lives and separate households because that was what they’d agreed to at the beginning of the relationship. Micah doesn’t recognize that people can shift their opinions and personalities as they grow, which may stem from Micah’s own lack of growth. 

Through his conversation with Lorna, Micah becomes aware of how his life story might come off while explaining how he bounced between multiple tech support jobs before starting his own company. He comments that his story sounds “sort of shiftless” (111). Lorna replies that he’s just “being [his] same old self, it looks like” (111). Lorna explains this comment, saying Micah doesn’t “[give] things a second chance” (111). Lorna’s comment reveals that she sees Micah differently than he sees himself. While Micah feels that his bouncing between different tech companies shows he’s willing to give things, in this case his career path, multiple chances, Lorna sees Micah bouncing around as instability. She believes he has moved around so much in the field because he refuses to give the companies he’s worked for second chances. This foreshadows Lorna’s feelings about her breakup with Micah that she will reveal later in Chapter 7. 

Micah further details his view of second chances by his interaction with Yolanda in Chapter 6. When he observes Yolanda flirting with the carpenter, Micah wonders what Yolanda gets out of repeatedly searching for love. Yolanda, who is only about 10 years older than Micah, has never given up on the idea of finding a partner. She explains that, even if the first date never goes anywhere, she still finds enjoyment in getting her clothes and makeup ready and fantasizing about the possibilities. She adds that “You have to pick yourself up and carry on” (124). This sharply contrasts the reflections Micah made on his own past relationships in Chapter 5. Micah recalls how, after being cheated on by Lorna and Zara back to back, he gradually invested less of himself in relationships to the point where he was relieved when his next girlfriend, Adele, left him, thinking of himself as “free of all that fuss and bother” (118). Micah asks Yolanda why she doesn’t try not to get “into the selfsame position all over again” (124), which is a direct reference to how Micah has avoided deeper relationships because of his experiences with Lorna and Zara. This shows how Micah became, and still is, disillusioned by the idea of relationships and why he kept Cass at arm’s length throughout the three years they were together. 

Micah does seem to be on the verge of change, however. Micah’s dream about the baby comes back into play when Ada mentions that Lily dreamt of having babies. She also says that babies are “a sign from your subconscious that you’re ready for the next stage of life” (121). Micah does not dwell on this observation much, but it helps to reveal that Micah is ready for change after many years of being shiftless. This can be seen at the end of Chapter 6 when Micah, who has been nothing but cautious while driving, decides to check his phone in a traffic jam. His desire to be with Cass again is beginning to outweigh the strict principles he’s held himself to for years. 

Finally, the theme of parental concern comes back through the presence of Lorna and the phone call with Ada. Ada expresses worry that Joey won’t be able to provide for Lily and potential children. Ada looks out for Joey by trying to find him steady work, as seen when she asks Micah if he needs an assistant. Lorna also shows concern for Brink in the way that she shows up to Micah’s house. With Brink’s disappearance, Lorna is consumed by her concerns, both about Brink’s current whereabouts as well as about what trouble he might have gotten into in college, saying she’s “aware that kids make bad decisions sometimes” (108). Lorna hesitance to eat breakfast shows how her concern for Brink has affected her daily life.