II
Summary: The Gold Cure
 This chapter centers on Bennie, a middle aged man who is picking his son, Chris, up from elementary school, the two pick up Starbucks coffee where the reader learns that Bennie adds golden flakes to his coffee to produce hormones. Chris’s mother doesn’t want him drinking coffee, but Bennie lets him have it as a way to rebel against his ex-wife. Bennie continually shows bitterness towards his ex-wife and his son, Chris’s, mother. Bennie is Sasha’s boss and works as a record producer is New York, he is going to meet with a band he is trying to get a record deal with. They are a group of sisters who have been promised a record deal for many years, but are starting to get a little too old for the job of rock stars. Throughout the afternoon Bennie is visited by guilty memories that distract him from his work and son. Bennie makes a list of all these guilty memories to remind him of later.
 Analysis: Bennie wants to feel young again, to feel aroused and strong, but time has taken its toll on him, he is middle aged and life has proven to be less than perfect to him. This serves as another example of a character whose life goals or dreams have been made less by time.
Bennie’s gold flakes reflect his want for affluence and his unrealistic expectations of life. His addiction to these gold flakes proves that people will go to great lengths to attain unattainable things. No one can recapture their youth or reverse time, but they can spend their whole lives desperately trying as Bennie is.
