Summary

Chapter 18 opens with Sabe reminiscing about Po'Boy and Aubrey. She thinks about them in regard to a poem by Dunbar that her mother made her recite when people gathered. At this point, it has been five years since Aubrey died. Sabe talks about how difficult it was to watch Po'Boy deteriorate from cancer. She used to recite Dunbar to him when he was at the hospital. Sabe reflects on her coming-of-age ceremony, at which she wore a white dress and special shoes. She compares her ceremony to Melody's, saying that Melody complained that her feet hurt and danced improperly with the other teenagers. Before that, however, she reflects that "those children were so beautiful on the floor" (181). Tired, Sabe says between memories that she misses many people. However, Po'Boy tells her to "hold on" and wait until "Melody and Iris can figure each...