Pearl and her husband are anxious about her illness, multiple sclerosis. Phil, a pathologist, turns maturer after his wifeÂ’s diagnosis and tries his best to maintain a normal atmosphere in the house. Pearl is a speech clinician in a school. Pearl had wished to tell about her condition to her mother but she had her own reasons for keeping it a secret for sometime. Now, that Helen knows about it, Pearl fears that she may reveal it to her mother. At the banquet Helen tells Pearl that she has a brain tumor and that she feels that her days are numbered and therefore, she does not want to die with the burden of a secret in her heart. In fact, Helen threatens Pearl that if she doesnÂ’t reveal it to her mother, then she will do it herself. PearlÂ’s reason for not revealing her illness is that her mother may unnecessarily bother about it.

Grand Auntie DuÂ’s funeral is conducted in a truly grand way with Helen husbandÂ’s Henry videotaping each and every incident, including the tantrums of PearlÂ’s daughters. Apart from the Kwongs and the Louies, some immigrant Chinese women are also present in the funeral. Pearl later learns that they are professional mourners. PearlÂ’s emotional outburst during the funeral service shocks both her and her mother. Winnie promptly recognizes that it is a belated response to the loss of her father, who had died twenty-five years earlier. At that time, Pearl had refused to grieve in spite of repeated pressure and beatings of her mother, as she could not come to terms with the bitter reality.

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