My Heartbeat Chapter 19 Summary

  • In Dr. Koch's continuing assessment of Link, they determine he's fluent in French after only three and a half years of studying the language. Kid is smart, yo. He wants to see how fast he can teach himself Latin next.
  • Link has become even more hostile. Ellen feels like everything he says is like a dare, like he's constantly daring his parents to contemplate his (possibly gay) sex life.
  • Dad responds to these dares by saying, "I see," which is a perfectly noncommittal response that allows him to gracefully bow out without admitting defeat.
  • Mom calls him on it—she just wants him to come out and say what he really wants to say.
  • Long story short? Things are still pretty tense in the McConnell house.
  • College announcements come back, and Link got in everywhere he applied, including Yale, the place he always loudly proclaimed he'd never apply to because of how much his dad wants him to go there. Wow.
  • The family is heading out for a celebratory dinner to commemorate Link getting into Yale. What's weird is that they're going to their dad's favorite restaurant, which everyone else hates. Link doesn't mind, though, since he knows it's kind of his dad's victory.
  • Ellen is feeling wistful about it all; she's going to miss him, just like she already misses him because of the distance that's developed between them. She hopes someday they'll go out to dinner, just the two of them, and order what they want and finally really talk to each other.