Chapter 13 Summary

The summer is in full swing, and Olivia takes Astrid on drives, or they have leisurely afternoons at Olivia's house, drinking rum punch. Olivia wants to take her to Carnival in Brazil where people dance for three days straight. Olivia tells her that she is glad to have found Astrid now instead of one or two years later. She's open to possibilities and can go in many directions.

When Astrid sends her mother pictures of Olivia, Ingrid's reaction is blistering. She calls Astrid retarded and accuses her of attaching herself to anyone who shows her the least bit of attention. She announces that she is disowning her.

October comes but Olivia doesn't talk about leaving for Carnival. Astrid doesn't write to her mother, because she couldn't bear her gloating over her loss of Olivia, but she writes to her about herself. Nothing pertains...