Table for Two: Fictions

Skinner thinks Billy is pompous; Billy’s branch of the family has more money than Skinner’s. At the Yale Club, Skinner and Billy agree to play backgammon and gamble on the results. Skinner lets Billy win the first game before asking about the DiDomenico fragment. Billy donated his fragment to his former school, using the donation to get a tax deduction. As Skinner wins back his money, Billy notes that Sarkis visited him about the fragment. Skinner suspects that Sarkis cannot find the last fragment, belonging to Peter Skinner.

Peter married Sharon Mendelson and took her last name, which Skinner disparages as a form of chivalry. Skinner invites Peter’s family to tea, including Peter’s second child, Emma. After tea, Skinner’s plan to ingratiate himself succeeds: Peter invites Skinner to dinner at Peter’s home in Brooklyn. There, Skinner and Lucas, Peter’s 10-year-old son, admire the DiDomenico fragment in Peter’s living room. Peter’s fragment is larger than Skinner’s and shows the entirety of Mary’s face; the painting captures the moment just before Gabriel tells her she is pregnant. Peter tells Skinner about Lucas’s essay on the painting and their family history. Sharon expresses distaste for the painting.

At dinner, Peter tells Lucas about Windward, a vacation home in Maine the Skinners owned until 1995. At Windward, everyone was expected to swim before eight o’clock in the morning. Skinner shows Lucas how he, Peter, and Peter’s cousin Nate put a trash can on top of the flagpole. A fuse blows, and Skinner helps Sharon replace it, noting her desire for renovations.

At home, Skinner thinks about his uncle Neddie, who showed him how to get the trash can on the flagpole when he and Billy were children. Skinner calls Sarkis, telling him he found a fragment to sell and requesting a 25% commission on the sale. Then, Skinner calls Peter to invite Lucas to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Skinner brings Lucas to the Met and pays full price for their tickets. In the Lehman Collection of Renaissance Art, Skinner explains that Lehman donated his art when he died and notices a man in denim listening. Skinner tells Lucas that collectors make museums possible, hiring conservators to undo the damage done to artwork displayed in homes.

Skinner also tells Lucas about his work at Sotheby’s, a fine art auction house. When Alan Bond purchased Van Gogh’s “Irises” for $54 million at auction, he secured a loan for the purchase with the artwork itself as collateral. After the purchase, Bond wanted to show the piece in his native Australia, but Sotheby’s suggested forging the work, presenting the copy in Australia while the original remained with Bond’s creditors. An older woman criticizes Skinner’s story, saying it paints a bad picture of humanity for Lucas.

Before leaving, Lucas notices a studiolo, or a room used for creative inspiration in Italian homes during the Renaissance. The studiolo at the Met, designed by 15th-century architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, uses different woods to create the impression of cabinets and devices in the walls. Lucas is mystified at how the museum could have re-assembled the pieces of a 500-year-old room.

Back at Peter’s apartment, Skinner turns on the microwave and dishwasher, which causes another fuse to blow. As he and Sharon replace the fuse, he tells her she needs to renovate the unsafe electrical system. When he explains that they could get as much as $150,000 for the DiDomenico fragment, Sharon tells Skinner to confer with his client. Skinner also offers to discuss it with Peter with Sharon’s support, so Sharon plans to invite Skinner back—Skinner assumes for Thanksgiving dinner. Skinner fantasizes about visiting the coast of France.

Skinner dislikes the potluck aspect of family Thanksgiving; he has celebrated Thanksgiving alone at a Chinese restaurant since 1988. As Thanksgiving approaches, Skinner grows concerned that Sharon has not invited him, and decides to call Peter. Peter and Sharon are visiting friends for Thanksgiving, but Peter will call Skinner when they return.

A month later, Skinner brings a large wreath to Peter’s house, where he notices the man in denim from the Met. Sharon invites Skinner to the kitchen, where Peter is drinking champagne with Michael Reese, a millionaire art collector. Peter and Michael met when Peter and Sharon were out to dinner. When Michael told them about his fascination with DiDomenico, Peter excitedly showed Michael the fragment he owns, and Michael confessed that he owns all the fragments except Peter’s. Peter agreed to sell his fragment, but Lucas insists the painting be put on display, recommending the same forgery method used with Van Gogh’s “Irises” to keep the original DiDomenico safe. Skinner realizes that he has prepared each member of the family for this sale, from which he is now excluded. Sharon announces she is pregnant.

Skinner is not upset—he was not any more forthright than Michael. Over the next year, Peter and Sharon acquire the first floor of their building, get the electrical system fixed, install a new baby room, vacation in Wellfleet, and return with a baby boy, Ezekiel. Skinner continues lunching at La Maison, but he visits the Yale Club to spend time with Billy more frequently. For Thanksgiving, he eats at Peter’s home with the full-size DiDomenico behind him.