Summary

Safiya develops feelings of anxiety about attending St. James College. She travels the farthest distance to get to school and drives past all of the wealthier neighborhoods on the coast. There is only one other scholarship student in Safiya’s grade. One of the teachers, Mrs. Pinnock, instructs Safiya to brush her hair and likens it to a mop. Safiya is ashamed. She is also reprimanded for having henna tattoos on her hands that a family friend designed for her. Her mother wants to go to the school and speak to the teacher but Howie forbids it.

Howie’s moods grow more unpredictable and rage-filled. He dwells on his feelings of rejection from childhood and the children do not know how to react. On one occasion, he is furious after the children eat green cherries from the tree, worried they will get sick...