How It All Goes Down
- In the divorce, Dante gets the car, the recliner, the a/c, and the television; Dolores gets a lot of her sentimental items back, like the scrap of her mom's painting.
- Roberta tells her she was stupid to not keep the car.
- Dolores moves into Grandma's house, gets a job at Buchbinder's Gift and Novelty Shop, and hangs out with Roberta each night.
- When Dolores saves up three grand, Roberta suggest she finally get a car, but instead she calls Dante and asks for the television back. She speaks to his dad, who says he'll give Dante the message.
- She gets another part time job at a bakery, working for Mrs. Gutwax and her son, Ronnie, who, according to Mrs. Gutwax, is "not retarded" (13.26.45).
- Finally, Dolores decides what to do with her money: a big screen TV and a satellite dish.
- Roberta sees it and is as angry as a chronic chain smoking old woman in a lavender tracksuit can be.
- Dolores yells at her to get out of the house, and Roberta fall off the porch.
- She feels guilty for almost killing Roberta, and takes it out on the Buchbinders, telling them she has a brain tumor and quitting her job.
- She buys two goldfish to keep her company, and luckily gets promoted to full time at the bakery.
- It doesn't last long, though; Ronnie asks to kiss her, she lets him, then she quits.
- At the end of the summer, she finds out that her dad has died. Dolores doesn't know whether she should miss him or not.
- Dante shows up the next day with a man perm, a girlfriend, and the television.
- Dolores tells him that he accidentally sent her a pair of his shoes, and he goes to get them.
- He barks orders at his girlfriend (some things never change) and tells Dolores her house smells like "body odor and dead fish" (3.26.120).
- She thinks he's just being mean, but sure enough, her goldfish are dead.
- Roberta gets out of the hospital, and convinces Dolores to return the TV and the satellite dish and get a freaking car.
- They get a '67 Biscayne, and the previous owner, clearly a lover of symbolism, left tapes of whale songs in the car.
- Dolores and Roberta take a road trip to see the whales, but they missed whale season in Maine, so they drive back home, and Roberta moves in.