Chapter 11 Summary

The rain has undermined the Indians' water tank, and not it is on the verge of collapse. Mehring thinks the symbolism of the peace sign face down in the mud is amusing. He thinks of the wet earth churning and decomposing all inside. He thinks of the people swept off the road by the flood. He knows that he will be forgotten someday. He chastises himself for falling in love with the property, although he is happy that the burned area has been "reborn." Then, a horn honks and dissolves his daydream. He is in the city, stuck in traffic. There are so many things he doesn't notice, including the people, the sports cars and the exhaust fumes. Mehring drives too slow and ends up getting waved down by a woman and giving her a ride. She remembers him as the driver who...