Summary

Chapter 13 takes place several months later, March 20, 1908; New York, New York, and Washington, DC. Belle boards the train in New York with her siblings and Genevieve, bound for Washington, DC, for her grandmother's funeral. The siblings discuss the fact they have not been back for more than a decade. Ethel asks why they stopped visiting and Belle is amazed that she does not understand. Belle knows that this funeral is the only thing that could prompt Genevieve to “cross the color barrier.” They talk about their memories of childhoods with family, including Richard. When they arrive in Washington, they leave through the train car and the depot designated for Blacks in case they encounter anyone they know from Washington who can identify them as Black. Teddy complains about the smells from that car, with a bathroom that consists only of a bucket, and...