Book 3, Chapter 18 Summary

Tante Atie sits on the rocker with Brigitte on her lap. Sophie says she did not realize Atie would remember the words from the card for that long. Atie says if you have something precious, then you do not forget it. Atie gets up to go to the market. Grandme Ifé warns her about the dispute they witnessed earlier between the Macoutes and the coal vendor. Atie says she has to go get a remedy for the lump in her calf. A boy wanders into the yard. Ifé calls him Eliab and gives him water.

That night, Grandme Ifé cooks beans. Sophie feels fat and guilty after supper. Grandme asks her why she left her husband so suddenly. Sophie says she has not left him for good. Ifé asks if she was having trouble with her marital duties. Sophie admits she...