Summary

After dinner, Sharon gets out some brandy, which the family never drinks. She pours some for everyone, calls it a “sacrament” (44), and announces that Tish is going to have a baby. After a moment of silence, Joseph and Ernestine both offer their support, leading Tish to comment in narration on how “…in spite of all that hung above our heads, that child was promised safety. Love had sent it, spinning out of us, to us” (49). The family then decides to invite Fonny’s family to share the brandy and the news. Joseph calls and finds the Hunts (Fonny’s family) all at home, and asks them to come over. This leads Tish to consider how the child is as much Joe’s child as it is hers and Fonny’s, and that “no knife could cut...