66 pages • 2 hours read
Kimberly Brubaker BradleyA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
At school the next day, Della misses recess to review her failed math quiz with Ms. Davonte. Ms. Davonte also gives her a note from Francine, telling Della to take the bus to the after-school program at the local YMCA. Della vaguely recalls Francine and Suki discussing Della’s after school plans that weekend but has never been to the Y before. Nevaeh tells her that she attends the after-school program too, which makes Della feel better even though she would rather stay home by herself or with Suki.
After school, Della arrives at the Y. One of the counselors goes over the activity options with Della, none of which she has ever tried before. Nevaeh calls Della over to her table, where she sits with a few other girls from class, one of whom is named Luisa. Della pulls out her math quiz to begin correcting it and Nevaeh tries to help despite Della’s protests. Della finally crumples up the quiz and throws it across the room in anger. Nevaeh apologizes, saying that she was only trying to help.
Recreation time begins and Nevaeh invites Della to come swimming with them, but Della does not have a swimsuit. She lies and says she forgot hers. Della goes to the gym to play basketball. A counselor passes the ball to Della, hard, which knocks her into Trevor. They begin arguing until the coach comes over and Della sees it is Tony from Food City. Tony invites Della to play a game with a group of kids, led by him, but she declines.
Francine picks Della up. Della sees an unfamiliar car in the driveway when they get home. Francine reminds Della that she and Suki have a meeting with their social worker today about their Permanency Plans.
Della explains that a Permanency Plan is for children in foster care: “a written-down goal we’re supposed to be moving toward” (77). Because of their unique situation, Suki and Della are unsure of what to write. Options like college seem out of the realm of possibility for both Suki and Della based on their grades.
Suki states that her plan is to leave foster care when she turns 18 and take custody of Della. The social worker begins asking clarifying questions about how she will achieve that goal: where they will live, what she will do for money, how she will budget, and so on. It becomes clear that Suki’s plan will be more difficult to achieve than they realize.
Della becomes increasingly frustrated as this conversation progresses around her. Finally, she yells, “WHAT ABOUT MY PLAN?” (81). Suki tells Della the plan is all about her, and Della expresses her frustration that no one ever consults her or asks for her input. Suki responds in anger, reminding Della that she has taken care of her since Della was born. Suki breaks down, stating that it has all been “Too. Much” and that she “can’t keep doing everything” (82). Francine tells the social worker that both Suki and Della should receive mental health evaluations. Suki explodes, accusing Francine of calling her “crazy” (83), and runs to her room, slamming the door.
The social worker tries to dismiss Suki’s outburst as “normal sibling conflict” (84), but Francine insists that Della and Suki have been through a lot and are traumatized from their past experiences. The social worker says she will put in a request for an evaluation and states that she will return in a few weeks to follow up.
The social worker leaves. Della asks Francine, “Why’d you say we were crazy?” (86). Francine says that she did not say the girls are crazy, but that they are having a hard time and that they need help.
At dinner, Suki tries to apologize to Della for lashing out at her, asking her what she did at the Y that afternoon. Della asks if she can go to Suki’s shift with her tomorrow after school instead, but Suki refuses. In bed that night, Suki tries to do their usual routine, singing “Skinnamarinky,” but Della does not join in. Before she goes to sleep, Suki says that she hopes Della does not think they should have stayed at Clifton’s, and Della assures her “[she] never once thought that” (87). They fall asleep, but Della is woken up a few hours later to Suki’s screams.
Della and Francine realize that Suki is screaming from a nightmare. Francine says it sounded like Suki and Della were being attacked by wolves. This reminds Della of Teena’s mother, who always said that Suki and Della were “raised by wolves” (88). This angered Suki but comforted Della, who imagined “how safe and warm [they’d] be, sleeping every night in a den full of wolves” (89). Della puts her arms around Suki and comforts her. Suki says that after they escaped Clifton’s house, Teena’s mom asked her why she never told anyone about Clifton. Suki admits that she did tell someone once, in fifth grade, but the friend called her a liar and soon abandoned her. Suki says that after that, she was afraid to tell anyone else for fear that she would lose them. Della tries to convince Suki to see Teena again, trying to assure her that Teena would never abandon them. Suki says that she cannot talk to Teena anymore: “[S]he knows everything. Sometimes people know too much [...] She looks at me different now” (90). This admission confuses Della, who is still unaware of the sexual abuse Suki endured in Clifton’s house.
At recess the next day, Della stands with Nevaeh and Luisa. Trevor walks over to them and pinches Nevaeh, calling her a baby. Della tries to get Trevor to go away, but Nevaeh asks her not to intervene, explaining that Trevor does this to all the girls that do not yet wear a bra. Ignoring Luisa and Nevaeh, Della walks over to Trevor and tells him to stop, calling him a “snowman” (94). He tells Ms. Davonte and Della spends the rest of recess inside.
When everyone comes in from recess, Nevaeh is upset with Della, telling her that things will only get worse with Trevor now. Della disagrees, thinking that she would have wanted someone to stick up for her if she was in the same situation.
On the way home from the Y, Della asks Francine if they can stop at Food City. At the store, she grabs a carton of Southern Butter Pecan creamer, and places it on Nevaeh’s desk the next day at school. The girls begin laughing over their shared joke and apologize for upsetting each other.
Suki is happy when she returns home from her shift at the grocery store; she is performing well at her job and learning a lot. That night, Della awakes to Suki screaming again from another nightmare, the third night in a row. Della thinks about how Suki did not have nightmares at Clifton’s house. She remembers that sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night and Suki would not be in their room, but that she could hear her somewhere else in the house, crying or producing a muffled scream. Suki would return to the room after a while, wiping away tears, and explain that she had been in the bathroom. Della recalls that “sometimes she’d have a funny smell around her, one [she] couldn’t place” (99). Neither Della nor Suki slept well on those nights, and at school Della would struggle to focus.
The next morning, Della asks Suki what is wrong, but Suki insists everything is fine. Later, their social worker visits again and gives Suki brochures about independent living for children aging out of the foster care system. Francine tells the social worker about Suki’s nightmares and again insists that Della and Suki need mental health evaluations. Suki insists that she is fine and that they are “doing great” (101). The caseworker makes a note in her file and asks that they keep her updated.
Della knows that Suki is not okay. When the caseworker leaves, Francine tells Suki that she is “like a pressure cooker” (101). She warns her about the dangers of “trying to keep everything under wraps” instead of seeking help (101).
That Friday, Della goes to Food City with Suki again for her shift. She brings a book that Nevaeh let her borrow. Maybelline is working in the deli again, and Della offers to help her clean tables. Maybelline helps a few customers and then calls Della over, asking whether anyone has ever told her to use hair conditioner. Della shakes her head and Maybelline goes to get her a bottle of it. She explains how to use it so that Della will have fewer tangles in her textured hair. Della tells Maybelline she wishes her hair was more like hers, braided and in soft waves.
Maybelline gives Della more macaroni and cheese after she helps clean the tables and Della recalls how she and Suki came to love macaroni and cheese. Teena taught Della and Suki how to make it from a box, and how to store boxes of it away so that “[they’d] always have something to eat” (106). Della thinks about how, by the time she and Suki fled Clifton’s house, they had three dozen boxes stored away and already had a supply going at Francine’s. As Della thinks about this, she hears a soft voice call her name. When she looks up, she sees Teena.
Della rushes to Teena, hugging her tightly and telling her how much she has missed her. Teena explains that Suki let it slip that she and Della were at Food City last Friday. Teena asks whether Della is being taken care of, and Della asks why Suki is mad at Teena. Teena hesitates, and then explains that she figured out Suki’s “bad secret [...] the one she doesn’t want anybody to know” (108). Della does not know what Teena means by this, and Teena grabs Della’s hands, reminding her that what happened with Clifton is not her fault or Suki’s.
From behind her, Della hears Suki tell Teena to “[g]et the snow out of this grocery store” (109). Teena tries to explain that she only came to check on them, but Suki only repeats that Teena needs to get out. Suki starts to yell, and Tony hurries over. When Teena tries to argue that Suki cannot kick her out, Suki lunges at Teena, pushing her and knocking her down. Tony instructs Suki to clock out and leave for the night.
In the car, Suki leans against the steering wheel, breathing fast. Della asks what is going on and Suki tells her to shut up. Suki begins driving, somewhat erratically. Della asks her why she lied about not talking to Teena and wonders how Teena figured out Suki’s secret. This stops Suki, who insists that she does not have a secret.
When they get home, she instructs Della not to tell Francine about what happened at Food City. At midnight, they go to pick up Francine from the bar. When they get home, Francine figures out something has happened because they did not bring home groceries. Suki explains what happened with Teena and how she told her to mind her own business. Della interrupts, asking Suki, “What happened?” (115). Suki, exasperated, cries, “Our mother went away and left us with a monster! We had to live with him! For five years! That’s what happened” (115). Suki goes outside and sits, crying, on the front step. Francine tells her that they will contact their caseworker on Monday.
Della goes to brush her teeth and pulls out the napkin with Teena’s phone number written on it, which Teena gave to her before Suki made her leave. Della commits the number to memory and then hides the napkin in the bathroom cabinet. When she gets to their room, Suki asks if Della will sleep in the bottom bunk that night, stating that she wants to be by herself.
The next morning, Della has breakfast with Francine and asks whether she and Suki have caused too much trouble for them to stay. Francine assures her that everything is okay and that “[she] understand[s] why [Della] and Suki might be angry” (117). When Suki wakes up, they all go grocery shopping at Food City. Suki learns that Tony did not report the incident or write her up.
Della remembers the hair conditioner and asks Francine if she can buy it, explaining what Maybelline told her. Francine agrees and when Della points out the price—$3.99—Francine explains that when she said she kept foster kids for the money, she meant “[she’s] getting paid to do a job [...] that job is to take care of [them]” (119). Suki insists that Della does not need special hair products and that she always did her best to take care of Della’s hair. Della points out that her hair is a different texture from Suki’s, and that “[j]ust because [Suki] always did [her] best doesn’t mean [Della] can’t use conditioner” (119).
At school on Monday, Della returns the book and upsets Nevaeh when she says she thought it was just okay. Della doesn’t understand why her friend is so upset. At recess, Della tries to tell her that she really did like the book. Nevaeh explains that the book is important to her because the main character has to live in a car for a short time, something Nevaeh and her mother had to do after her father left and they lost their apartment. Della shares that she and Suki live in foster care, and the friends understand that they have each had difficult experiences in life.
When Suki gets home from work, she immediately goes to bed without eating. Francine tells Della to leave her be, and that she will be better in the morning. Suki wakes everyone up again, screaming from her nightmares.
Suki’s symptoms of post-traumatic stress and trauma worsen parallel to Della’s forays into independence. Suki, who is silently grappling with her own trauma, views these changes in Della as an erasure of the care she poured into Della all her life, which further erodes her own self-esteem. When Maybelline gives Della advice about using conditioner in her hair, which frequently tangles, Suki takes offense: “I always took care of you just fine” (119). Instead of acknowledging Della’s growing independence, Suki feels like Della is driving them apart. Though never explicitly stated or explored, Della and Suki assume that they have different fathers, and there is evidence to suggest that Della is biracial: “My hair has bounce. It tangles up all the time [...] My skin’s browner, and I don’t never need sunscreen” (8). As Della settles into her new life away from Clifton’s house, she no longer needs to solely rely on Suki, and she gains the confidence to express this: “My hair’s different from yours! [...] Just because you always did your best doesn’t mean I can’t use conditioner” (119). Suki is unable to see that Della’s willingness to assert her identity is a sign of the Resilience Built through Sisterhood—Suki’s protection has given Della the strength to seek out her own independence.
Suki’s violent reaction to Teena’s visit is a manifestation of Suki’s shame and anger due to the Stigma of Abuse. Because she feels unable to talk about the abuse she experienced, Suki’s only release is through lashing out at others, even though they are trying to help. Suki has still not shared the extent of her trauma with anyone, including Della; however, she gives a hint when she explains why she can no longer have Teena in her life: “Sometimes people know too much [...] She looks at me different now” (90). Suki believes that because Teena knows Suki was sexually abused, she perceives her negatively; in essence, Suki projects her own feelings of shame and blame onto Teena.
Suki’s trauma prevents her from accepting help and support from others, such as when Francine recommends Suki and Della receive mental health evaluations. Suki ignores Francine’s advice and is unwilling to accept help even as her symptoms increase in severity. With the absence of any reliable adult figures in their lives, Suki has taken all of her and Della’s burdens onto herself, and she rejects potential support networks out of mistrust. Suki has never been able to rely on a parent or guardian; therefore, she cannot believe that she and Della are safe with Francine, nor can she understand that any perceived failings are not her fault.
Della also encounters her own struggles with the adjustment of living away from Clifton. Della strikes up a friendship with her classmate Nevaeh, who teaches her an important lesson about the struggles that everyone goes through, even if they look different from Della’s own. In Chapter 20, Nevaeh lends Della a book about a girl who has to live in a car for a short time. The book does not resonate with Della, who has never been unhoused. Her indifference offends Nevaeh, which leaves Della confused: “Sometimes it seemed like everybody understood the rules but me” (120). Della’s upbringing has left her bereft of understanding certain social cues and customs. When she and Nevaeh talk out their disagreement, Nevaeh reveals that the book means so much to her because she and her mother experienced something similar. This opens the door for Della to be vulnerable as well and share the fact that she and Suki live in foster care. Della is used to having to hide so much about her life; Nevaeh’s own vulnerability is a gift to Della to feel able to do the same. This scene depicts Children Finding Their Strength through bonds of mutual understanding, as Nevaeh and Della teach each other how to appreciate others’ struggles.
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley