The next day Maria returned to a semi-catatonic state. Jasper was disconcerted by the sudden change, not to mention feeling guilty—had it not been for his eagerness to indulge Maria, maybe she wouldn't have retreated inside herself once again.
However, the change didn't seem to surprise Jane. She simply pushed her mother out of the bed and into the shower. She refrained from commenting on Maria's state of undress, but disapproval poured out of her. After forcing something that looked remarkably like baby food down Maria's throat, Jane sat her in front of the TV, and proceeded to wash the sheets and clean the house.
Jasper found it strange that Jane still hadn't kicked him out of the house. It took him a while to realize that she wasn't coping with the situation as well as he had believed. Just like she had done as a child, Jane needed to keep herself busy in order to avoid thinking about unpleasant subjects.
Making use of whatever time he had left, Jasper wandered around the house. It looked exactly the same as it always had, except for some small additions here and there. Despite the fifty three years he had shared it with Maria, he had never considered it his home—it was a resting place, a pit stop before he could head to his real home.
Home is where the heart is, and Jasper's heart had been lost during the War.