Summary

Tembi is surprised to learn that the interim priest in Aliminusa that summer is a person of color. Nonna is pleased to introduce Tembi and Zoela to the priest, as it is a sign of respect for him, and Tembi feels a sense of connection as "two people of African descent meeting across the diaspora" (Loc 2879). Afterward, Tembi walks outside town where her grief feels freer in the knowledge that she will not lose Saro there, surrounded as she is by his town, history, and culture. Back at home, Nonna shows Tembi the clothing she has set aside in case she is admitted to the hospital, as well as the clothing she wishes to be buried in. Tembi realizes that Nonna has "shown me her most vulnerable self, invited me to see and contemplate her own...