Silver Sparrow

Chaurisse collects the postcard from Gwen and the keys to the car, drugs Laverne to sleep, and heads to the airport to talk to Raleigh. She questions why he aided James, and Raleigh responds by defending Gwen, calling her “a lady.” This fills Chaurisse with jealousy, and she says that she and Laverne are “complicated” and “interesting,” too. He tells her it’s “not a competition,” but she insists that, for her, it is (324). She then heads to Dana’s apartment complex, where Gwen meets her instead of Dana.

Gwen invites her in but continues to make slighting comments the whole time they are inside. Chaurisse confronts her with the postcard and asks Gwen not to “call the police on my father” (327). Gwen denies having sent the postcard, which Chaurisse insists is a lie, saying, “You and Dana just lie and lie and lie” (327). Gwen retorts that she and Dana have lived their whole lives as a sacrifice to Chaurisse. In response, Chaurisse tells Gwen to stay away from her parents. Gwen calmly tells Chaurisse that is a ridiculous request—that she should “respect” Gwen—and asks to have Miss Bunny’s brooch back. Chaurisse refuses to return it, and Gwen reveals that Dana changed the date on the marriage certificate so that Chaurisse would not realize James had been getting married to Gwen while Chaurisse was being born. Chaurisse denies this possibility, so Gwen shows her out, but first Chaurisse glimpses of Raleigh’s photo of Laverne hanging in their house.

Chaurisse calls her father over to their house but makes him wait outside long enough to realize they have changed the locks. She tells him he has hurt her, but he keeps insisting his “sin” is against Laverne, not her (330). She asks if he loves her or Dana “better,” but he refuses to answer. He starts to get angry with her, but Chaurisse catches him off guard by asking him if he married Gwen while she was an infant, which he denies.

Laverne takes James back, much to Chaurisse’s surprise and dismay. Laverne says James has done too much for her during their marriage for her to want to leave him forever. She tells Chaurisse that God wants it this way.

Several years in the future, Dana is picking up her daughter, Flora, from preschool. Dana reveals that she and Flora’s father are not married to each other, nor to anyone else. Chaurisse pulls into the lot. She says she just wants to say hi and see how Dana has been. Dana tries to act “normal, well-adjusted, and happy” (337). Chaurisse asks if Dana has seen James at all over the years. Dana thinks back to his and Laverne’s “recommitment ceremony,” which went on as planned (338). Dana waited at his car during the party, knowing he would come out for a smoke. She asked him how he could abandon her, his daughter, but he told her it was her fault and that she needed to leave. She decides against telling Chaurisse about this experience and denies having spoken to him. She then leaves to drive Flora home, but she is “shaken,” so she pulls over and holds Flora tightly, just as she promised herself she would never do (340).