Summary

This first chapter is titled “A Penny in a Purse.” The author begins by describing the beginnings of the relationship between her biological grandmother, Betty, and Arnie, the man who married Betty and became a grandfather figure for the author. She describes how Betty had a wild and rebellious side, how she had lived in the city and came to the relationship after several marriages and divorces. She also describes how Betty worked hard to support Arnie, and how she loved unconditionally, commenting that “Betty’s whole life amounted to variations on that moment [when she met Arnie]: doing something kind for an underdog” (6). The author also describes Arnie’s habits of hard work and generosity, a generosity that carried over to his life with Betty. They were, the author says, “the sort of poor who, whether by spirit or circumstance, found a...