Summary

On the narrator’s eighth birthday, her three-year-old sister Abi swallowed a cup of bleach. Her mother was terrified and unsure what to do. She called the narrator’s father. While Dad raced home from work, Mom “opened the fridge, took out the milk, and poured a glass” (285). Before giving Abi the milk, Mom dumped it in the sink. She did “the whole show” again before Dad returned (285).

When Dad arrived, Mom dragged Abi out of the house. Dad honked, Mom “started to cry,” and the narrator finally closed the doors and got in the car (286).

They drove “the first ten blocks” fast (286). On the main road, however, the traffic was at a standstill. Dad honked and yelled that they needed “to get to the hospital” (286). No one moved. Then Dad told the narrator to remove her underpants. The narrator was confused. She...