Funny Story

Miles is back home, but Daphne hurries from the apartment to avoid seeing him. At work, she can tell Ashleigh is still hurt. She starts walking home in the pouring rain, but Miles pulls up in a Jeep and offers her a ride. He apologizes to her and explains that he got apprehensive, and then a friend called needing to borrow his truck, and he got immersed in helping her move. She’s infuriated, knowing that Miles isn’t admitting the friend is Petra. He apologizes for disappearing on her, but Daphne angrily tells him he’s “off the hook” (326), which makes him angry. She explains that they both fell into their old patterns of expecting the worst to happen. He tearfully begs her to “put [him] on the hook” because he loves her (326). Daphne tells him about the job interview and that he can’t use those words to apologize. She gets out of the car and walks home in the rain. She passes the cottage and sees a realtor showing it to a couple. She fantasizes about how a couple could make a home there.

Daphne calls her mother and tells her about her dad’s visit. Her mom apologizes for his behavior. Daphne thanks her for always being there, but her mom claims she wasn’t always perfect. She feels guilty for moving around a lot and encourages Daphne not to seek an escape when things get complicated. When her mom says, “Sometimes you have to push through discomfort instead of running” (331), Daphne knows what to do. She texts Harvey and asks for an emergency poker night.

Ashleigh brings Daphne chai from the coffee shop, and Daphne takes the gesture as a good sign. While Harvey and the poker club distract Ashleigh, Daphne goes to her house and paints her bedroom. Ashleigh comes home and finds Daphne painting her room the ugly pink she picked out. They apologize to one another, and Ashleigh confesses that she was too hard on her. During her divorce, Ashleigh discovered in therapy that she tries to set emotional “traps” for people, hoping they will fail. Since she needed a friend, she put too much pressure on their new friendship. Daphne reveals she and Miles had sex but immediately feels guilty for giving so much detail. She’s never had a friend with whom she felt comfortable talking about sex, and she worries Miles wouldn’t like her sharing private information. Ashleigh assures her that her lips are sealed, but she wonders why Daphne feels the relationship can’t work. Ashleigh explains that all relationships are built on two people not being “perfect” for one another and making it work anyway. Daphne tells her about Peter and Petra and her job interview. They agree to keep the ugly painted room as a reminder of life’s imperfections. Plus, Duke would’ve hated it.

Ashleigh invites Daphne to stay with her until the Read-a-thon. She texts Miles to let him know, and he responds with “k.” Daphne meets Ashleigh’s son, Mulder, and is pleasantly surprised at how talkative and pleasant he is for a preteen. During her phone interview, the librarians ask when she could start, and she says that she could do so as soon as she gave two weeks’ notice.

Daphne returns to the apartment to collect some of her belongings when she knows Miles won’t be there. She feels he hasn’t been there and wonders if he is staying elsewhere. She runs into Julia, who has returned from Chicago. Julia is angry with Daphne for not returning Miles’s declaration of love when she knows Daphne’s in love with him. Daphne explains that the situation is complicated. Julia thanks her for encouraging her to speak with Miles and reports that their relationship is much better now. Julia understands that the emotional abuse Miles received from his parents scarred him, and he struggles to trust himself or others. “He can’t see himself clearly” (349), she explains. Julia encouraged him that he mustn’t let his past wounds prevent him from having a happy life in the present.

Daphne reads her father's note saying he received a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity elsewhere (351), but he might return in October to see the fall colors. Thinking about how she won’t be there in October, Daphne sobs and calls her mother.

The day of the Read-a-thon begins, and volunteer crews arrive to turn different parts of the library into genre-themed sections. Disaster strikes when Landon, along with several volunteers, calls in sick with a virus that is going around the community. Ashleigh tells Daphne she can handle the issue and will try to attend the event, knowing it’s all for the kids. Daphne’s father calls to wish her luck for her big day at the library, explaining that he and Starfire left because a person they met in the dunes, Christopher, invited them to stay with them in Mackinac. Miles drove up to Mackinac to chastise them for leaving early and tried to shame them into driving back down because of how much their leaving hurt Daphne. Daphne realizes that Miles wasn’t with Petra but was driving to Mackinac and that she loves him for fighting for her happiness. Daphne hangs up but gathers her courage and calls her father back. She tells him that he is a terrible father and that Miles, unlike him, cares for her. He tries to respond, but she hangs up before he can get the words out.

The library is filled with patrons, and Daphne stands up to give a speech. She sees that volunteers from all over the community have shown up to fill in the gaps. Barb and Edna; Julia; Elda, the cheesemonger; employees from Cherry Hill; and most importantly, Miles. She’s surprised he’s there, but she’s learning to be hopeful for happy surprises. Daphne thanks everyone for pitching in to help make the event a success, and she gets emotional thinking about how much she loves the library, her job, and the town. Daphne is most happy to see that Maya has made a new friend, and they are reading together in a bean bag. Miles stays to help collect trash, but they don’t get a chance to talk and only make eye contact across the room. As the event winds down, Ashleigh congratulates Daphne on succeeding at her goal. She assures Daphne they can handle the rest and she should talk to Miles.

While Miles and Daphne walk, she tells him she knows he went to meet her father. He explains that he only checked on Petra because she called him sobbing. Daphne reveals that Peter came to win her back, and Miles assumes they are back together. Miles claims Petra wanted to get back together, but he informed her he was in love with Daphne. 

Petra scared him when she told him he was unprepared for what Daphne desires, such as children, because of his upbringing. Peter and Petra broke up because Petra does not want children. Miles says he loves Daphne because she loves him without pretense; he begs her to stay in Waning. Daphne responds that she loves him too and is staying in Waning. However, she is getting a place of her own. She explains that she must independently build a life not around Miles but herself. Miles agrees to support her and offers her a place to stay until her rental is ready.

Daphne and Miles prepare brownies at the home they bought together. Daphne’s mother is coming for a visit and attending poker night. Daphne thinks about how her life has changed in the months since she decided to stay in Waning. Most importantly, she and Sadie have started repairing their friendship after Daphne reached out via letter. All the poker guests arrive, including Ashleigh; Barb; Lenore; Harvey and Elda, who are now dating; and Julia, who now works at the coffee shop. Daphne’s heart is filled with love for Miles and the new family she has found in Waning. Elda asks how she and Miles met, and she tells the “funny story” of how they unexpectedly fell in love.