Chapter 2 Summary

During the summers, the girl stayed in bed long after her father left for work. She could hear her parents talking as her father shaved, dressed, and ate his breakfast. He would quickly take a bath in cold water because he believed that it would strengthen his back. The girl bathes in warm water, and sometimes she and her mother bathe together. Sometimes they were just plain baths and sometimes it would be a special bath with flowers, tree bark, and oils added to the warm water.

The girl and her mother started taking these special baths after her mother consulted the obeah woman, who confirmed that odd things were going on in their house. If the girl had a scratch that did not heal right away, her mother dropped a precious bowl, or a friendly dog suddenly started to bite, these were...