Summary

Chapter 6, “Alice and Billups, 1968,” opens in Philadelphia in 1968. Alice and Billups are both children of Hattie and August. Alice and Billups are in their mid-twenties by this point. Alice has married a wealthy African-American doctor named Royce Phillips. Alice and Billups are quite close as siblings, and Alice is protective of him. One day, Alice believes she sees a specific man named Thomas on the street, and she becomes shocked and distraught. Alice heads to her home. She and Royce are throwing a party for that evening and have hired a caterer. Alice and Royce’s maid, Eudine, is helping with the preparations. Billups arrives at the house to speak with Alice. Alice tells him that she saw Thomas on the street; Billups assures her that she did not.

Later in the day, Billups tells Alice that he and Eudine have been secretly dating...