Summary

The unnamed narrator is fascinated by the circumstances that can form a truly happy family, and as an example holds up the only one he has ever met: “Perhaps their story is worth telling” (70). He describes a church rally for civil rights he attended in the early 1960s with the children of a long-time friend. He gives a glowing description of the daughter, 19-year-old Marguerita, and the son, 17-year-old Andrew. They have striking good looks, epitomized by glowing bronze skin. Marguerita in particular is joyfully passionate about civil rights. At this rally, Andrew meets Christine, an intense young woman Marguerita’s age who will also be traveling south in the summer. All four return to the family’s apartment on Riverside Drive on the west side of Manhattan, where the narrator takes the opportunity to describe the parents. He is just...