What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day

Joyce didn’t want to keep the Sewing Circus connected with the church forever but doesn’t have anywhere else to hold the meetings. She fears that without the church’s easily accessible location, membership will drop. However, she tells Ava that she isn’t giving up on the group, despite her worries.

Ava feels guilty for being short with Joyce and Imani. She realizes that she’s had a bad attitude because she’s lonely. To comfort herself, she imagines taking a female lover once she moves to California. She knows women who’ve given up having sex with men for sex with women. She imagines this could work for her too.

Ava apologizes to Joyce for her attitude. She knows Joyce needs her help with Imani and the Sewing Circus and wants to be supportive.

Eddie takes Ava on a drive to check up on a job he recently completed, and Ava welcomes the trip out of town. On the way, Ava asks if he invited her because Joyce told him about her situation, and he feels sorry for her. Eddie doesn’t know her story and teases her to assuage her worries.

Eddie and Ava have lunch on the beach. Spending time with Eddie makes Ava feel that she’s “found a friend for life” (106).

Aretha stops over while Joyce is out looking for a new Sewing Circus location. She and Ava chat about Aretha’s future, Ava’s California plans, and Ava’s short haircut. Ava offers to cut Aretha’s hair before she leaves for school.

Ava realizes she’s sexually attracted to Eddie while meditating one day (108). These feelings once would have excited her but now terrify her. She tells herself they can be friends because she’s unprepared for romantic complications.

Rumors about Ava’s diagnosis spread after she picks up her prescription in town one day. She runs into Gerry, Tyrone, and Frank at the pharmacy. Gerry whispers about Ava with her friends, and Frank and Tyrone hurl insults at her.

The Sewing Circus is at the house when Ava returns from the pharmacy. Still upset by Frank and Tyrone’s insults, she goes for a walk and runs into Eddie doing t’ai chi on his dock. When he realizes she’s crying, he invites her inside.

Ava wants a drink but accepts Eddie’s offer of tea and asks him about t’ai chi. Eddie explains that he found the practice after returning from Vietnam and serving time in prison. Ava doesn’t ask why he went to prison for 10 years, although she’s curious about his life. Eddie withholds specifics while speaking to the changes he’s experienced and the lessons he’s learned. Ava considers telling him her secret but decides against it. Eddie reminds her that their lives in Idlewild now are different than they used to be.

When Ava returns home, she asks Joyce if she knows about Eddie’s past and why she won’t reveal the details. Joyce references her experiences after Mitch’s death by way of explanation. She assures Ava that Eddie will tell her his story in his own time.

Eddie stops by the next day to check up on Ava. Ava admits that she wants to tell him about her life but isn’t sure if she’s ready. She silently fears revealing her secret, worried she doesn’t have enough time to pursue a relationship with him.

Joyce goes to Aretha’s house to help with her Interlochen orientation information. Ava worries about being home alone with Imani and Eddie, who is coming over for a movie night. Ava wants to show him movies that remind her of Frank and Tyrone. In the middle of the first film, Eddie stands up, looking upset. Ava turns off the film and listens to Eddie rant about the violence such movies promote. Then, he reveals why he went to prison. After he returned from Vietnam, he started dealing drugs, through which he met his girlfriend, Sela. Sela later left him for a different man, turning on him to get high. To punish Sela and her new boyfriend, Eddie killed them.

Ava sits on the couch reflecting on Eddie’s story after he leaves. When Joyce returns, the sisters discuss Eddie’s past. Joyce argues that everyone makes mistakes and deserves to change. Then she tells a joke, and Ava feels better. When Joyce suggests that Ava has feelings for Eddie, Ava insists she can’t get involved with him because she’s leaving Idlewild at the end of the summer. Joyce scoffs.

Aretha calls Ava to say that she wants her to cut her hair after all. Ava feels excited for Aretha and can’t wait to tell Joyce.

Ava runs into Eddie in town. They haven’t seen each other since Eddie’s revelation. They make plans to meet up later.

Ava and Eddie spend the evening at Eddie’s house. They play music, dance, and make food. Ava thanks Eddie for telling her about his life, and then she reveals that she’s HIV positive. She doesn’t see any judgment in his face. She admits that she wanted to tell him about her diagnosis because she likes him. They talk about how to be intimate safely before kissing and having sex.

After sex, Ava tells Eddie that she doesn’t want him to get his hopes up about their future. Eddie assures her that he’s not placing expectations on her. He just wants to love her as hard and as long as he can.

Joyce demands details when Ava returns home. She’s thrilled to hear about Ava and Eddie and hopes being with Eddie will convince Ava to stay in Idlewild. Lying in bed afterwards, Ava remembers her night with Eddie and tries not to worry about their future.

Ava takes an early morning walk. She runs into Eddie, realizing they’re both excited to see each other. Eddie assures her that they love each other and that their relationship will only get better.

While Ava cuts Aretha’s hair, they talk about Idlewild, freedom, and the future. Aretha says she feels like herself when she sees the completed cut.

Eddie stops over to tell Ava and Joyce that another elderly man, Johnny Mack, was robbed and attacked in his sleep. Eddie insists that Frank and Tyrone are to blame because he thinks that people with drug addictions do illogical things. Ava considers how drugs have impacted the Idlewild community.

Imani watches Eddie give Ava and Joyce a t’ai chi lesson. Joyce doesn’t participate for long, but she has been cultivating a meditation and spiritual practice of her own. Ava teases her about “call[ing] up the wrong spirits” (151).