The Pink House

In Stingo's life, nothing is really shaping up to be what he expected. Now without a job or a place to live as he leaves his small apartment to find a different residence, his chances seem bleak in his somewhat dreary life. Venturing out with only forty eight dollars left, he finally finds a place to rent out, a building seeming so old that one would assume that it would have faded after years of weather damage. However, the pinkness of the building depicts a different image. Once inside the building, Stingo is introduced to the owner, Mrs. Yetta Zimmerman, who informs him of her numerous rules. Five others live in the same residence as well, and they remain a mystery until the end of the chapter. Stingo's father is introduced in a way in the second chapter. Although he is only referenced as father, he seems to play a somewhat influential role in Stingo'slife as his mother died of cancer when he was young. Stingo is informed by his father of a wealth his (Stingo's father) grandmother had left, which was supposed to be passed down to her grandchildren. However, through miscommunicatoin and confusion, the inheritance was never recovered in his father's time. Now with letters and resources, his father discovered the money and Stingo along with the eleven other grandchildren were forutunate enough to receive this money which would equal out to about five hundred dollars each.

Towards the end of the chapter, Stingo is introduced to Morris Fink who informs him of the various tenants in the building and their demeanors. Fink and Stingo seem to build a casual, comfortable relationship through a short conversation about the room that Stinog is currently living in. The residents above his room like to get what you could call "frisky" and constantly annoy Stingo. Fink can relate as his room used to be the one in which Stingo is currently living. Once becoming associated with one person in the building, Sophie and Stingo meet for the first time.

Stingo and Sophie meet in an odd circumstance as Sophie and her boyfriend, Nathan are fighting. Nathan seems to be controlling and tempermental as he yells at Sophie, calling her obsene names and degrading her with each vile word that escapes his mouth. Stingo appears and talks to Sophie, as Nathan storms out of the pink building, agitated and irate. This instance is where Stingo realizes how in love with Sophie he is and thus the two main characters meet. Before she goes up to bed after being comforted by his words, he notices the small numbers that are tattoed to her arm....the numbers that defined her in her past...the numbers that would shape the rest of the novel...the numbers that lead to a haunting past...