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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Chapter 22
A ghostly storm is coming when they hear a knock at the door of the Store. It is George Taylor, whose wife died over the summer. Maya is afraid he is going to try to marry Momma. Mr. Taylor has a strange look on his face. Momma gives him a bowl of soup, and tells him he should try to stop thinking so much about his wife. They had many good years-though it is sad they had no children. Mr. Taylor suddenly says that his wife wants children-she said so just the night before. Everyone stares at him, not knowing what to say. Momma tries to say it was a dream, but Maya, with a child's imagination, instantly believes it is true. At the funeral during the summer, Maya for the first time understood her own mortality. In death, Mrs. Taylor had not looked peaceful. She had just looked empty, and that scared Maya. The memory is so real that for a moment Maya can't believe she's in the Store, listening to Mr. Taylor. He tells the story of how he lay down to sleep the night before, then opened his eyes to see a baby angel laughing at him, right in front of his face. He heard his wife's moaning voice. She said she wanted children. Momma doesn't believe the story, but Willie, Maya and Bailey are frightened. Momma tells Mr. Taylor that it probably means his wife wants him to help with the children of the church. Though Mr. Taylor protests, Maya sees the whole mood of the room change because of Momma's words. Nothing is frightening anymore.
