Chapter 2 Summary

The morning after Willie returns home by plane, Rosacoke attends church with her family; she gets her first look at Willie's fiancé, but finds that Wesley has not shown up for services. Disappointed that she is unable to confront Wesley and faced with the obvious humiliation that he hasn't come to call, Rosacoke hides away in her room after Sunday dinner.

In a tender moment, Mrs. Mustian tells Rosacoke about her own past mistakes. She had believed she could change Horatio, Rosacoke's father, after marriage, but soon found that things only got worse; now she is a widow with four children. The motherly advice should have been clear to Rosacoke: Wesley is not coming back, so it would be best if Rosacoke could set her mind on some other dream. The advice falls on deaf ears, though, and Rosacoke bundles up and sets...