John Ferris in Ballad of the Sad Cafe and Other Stories

John Ferris

Ferris, a classy globetrotting newspaper type (or should we call him "The Sojourner"?) has spent his life apart from conventional American ideals of family. Now, mourning the death of his father, he re-encounters his ex-wife who has taken up sweet family life with a new husband and children. He finds himself jealous and desperate for the kind of connection he sees when he visits their home.