Chapter 14 Summary

As Mary grows older, she slowly begins to distance herself from Texas. Short trips to nearby cities and across the border into Mexico eventually lead her away to a small college in the Midwest. She moves to the East Coast after graduating and pursues a master's degree in poetry. Lecia is a successful businesswoman who marries a wealthy Texan later in her life. Pete runs errands for his son-in-law after he retires, but he still finds many hours in the day to drink. Charlie stops drinking, under direct orders from her daughters, but she continues to take Valium and immerse herself in esoteric philosophy books. Mary maintains a connection to Charlie over the phone, despite the geographical distance, but her relationship with Pete becomes more removed as she grows into an adult.

During college, Mary hitchhikes down to Texas for Easter break. During...