Summary

Chapter 5. Patty travels to Memphis to spend the day with her grandmother. Her grandmother takes her to a fancy restaurant. There they discuss Grandma Fried’s sisters, who are still in Europe. Although Patty tries to resist as her parents have demanded, her grandmother spoils her with lunch, dessert, and clothes shopping, in addition to loving her and giving her undivided attention. At the end of the day, Patty expresses her hope to see her grandmother the following week, and is disappointed when her grandmother tells her she and her grandfather will be going on vacation until August. Patty responds coldly, figuring her grandmother, like her parents, doesn’t want her. After she is home, however, she writes her grandmother a kind thank-you note.

Patty’s summer is long and boring. Her schoolmates have all gone to Baptist summer camp, and her mother refuses to...