"Warst asphalt blues" is the title of this chapter. It's a reference to the fact that the narrator is a bad decision maker. The narrator tells us that he's always been bad at making the right decisions. He remembers when his family made all his decisions for him. One day, the family judge tells him that they've found him a foster home. He's been away from home for five years, and the judge says that he can't go back. He tells the narrator that he has sailed the ocean of uncertainty for twenty-five years and that his only goal has always been to be free. He asks the narrator to tell him that he will be back soon. He apologizes, but the narrator doesn't want to be a burden to his family. He says that if he dies of a heart-attack because of his worries about the narrator, it will be his fault, and he'll be late to his funeral. He also says that two brothers aboard the ship say that if the narrator dies because of worries about him, he'd be their fault. They also say that he won't be able to come back to the funeral because of a capsize of a whale that's off the coast. He adds that if his heart attack is caused by his worries, then it's the fault of the two brothers. He then asks if it is possible to still be free and still be happy. He wants to know if he can still love