Ellie may be straddling the line of being old enough to be repulsed by anything adults like or care for, that know-it-all phase that had Tess insisting her own parents didn't know jack shit and that she had all the answers, but in the here and now, Tess lets out a scoff of a laugh. Now she needs to give him the roller so his feelings don't get hurt. She chooses not to elaborate on it, simply passing him the roller with a shake of her head.

"Trade off if it starts fucking with your back," she warns him. "And maybe we can find something for Ellie that isn't the same thing she's read a million times."

When, she wonders, do kids grow out of comic books? In her mind, it's a hobby for nine year old boys and aging collectors who rarely leave their couches.