Book 3, Chapter 21 Summary

Just before dinner, Louise ties the pig to a pole in the yard. After the meal, everyone sits on the back porch and listens to Atie read a love poem Louise helped her translate from French from her notebook. After reading the poem, Atie and Louise walk off into the night like silhouettes on a postcard.

Later that night, Atie comes home. Sophie finds her on the steps feeding the pig. Atie talks about how her life is empty here, but was painful in Croix-des-Rosets too. She says the oldest child is supposed to walk at the head of her mother's coffin, but she is tired. "They train you to find a husband," she says. "They poke at your panties in the middle of the night, to see if you are still whole. They listen when you pee, to find out...