Summary —Chapter Twelve: Into the Terrible Night
The sloped desert plain that lay between
us and the city was like a palm stretched out for a fortuneteller
to read, with its mounds and hillocks, its life lines and heart
lines of dry stream beds.
See Important Quotations Explained
One afternoon in July the cicadas stop buzzing and Taylor
and Mattie hear thunder in the distance. Mattie closes up shop and
takes Taylor, Esperanza, and Estevan to the desert, saying she wants
them to smell the first rain. She tells them that the Native Americans
who used to live in the desert celebrated New Year’s Day on the
day of the first summer rain. The group climbs up to a hill and
listens to the thunder. Rain clouds move in, rain drenches them
for a moment, and then the storm moves on.
On the walk back to the car, they see a rattlesnake curling
up a tree, presumably looking for birds’ eggs. When Taylor gets
home, she realizes that something is wrong when she sees Lou Ann’s
face. Lou Ann tells her something has happened to Turtle. Turtle
was in the park with Edna Poppy, who was baby-sitting her, when
a man attacked Turtle. Because of her blindness, Edna does not know exactly
what happened, but she says that she heard struggling and swung
her cane in the direction of the noise. Taylor looks at Turtle, whose
eyes are as blank as they were when Taylor found her in Oklahoma.
Within a few minutes, a policeman and social worker arrive. Taylor
excuses herself to help Mrs. Parsons deal with a sparrow that has
flown into the house. The bird bangs into the window and falls back
on the counter. Mrs. Parsons thinks it is dead, but it gets back
up, and eventually Taylor and Mrs. Parsons manage to get it out
the door and “into the terrible night.”
A medical examiner finds bruises on Turtle’s shoulder
but no evidence of molestation. Lou Ann wants to take care of Turtle
and find the perpetrator; she is angry with Taylor, who chased the
bird instead of tending to Turtle. After the incident, Taylor feels
absolutely despondent. She avoids eating and spends most of her
time at work.
Summary—Chapter Thirteen: Night-Blooming Cereus
Taylor and Turtle meet twice a week with Cynthia, a social
worker whose prim professionalism sometimes irks Taylor. Eventually, Cynthia
finds out about Turtle’s past and tells Taylor that Taylor has no
legal claim to the child. Without a legal guardian, Turtle is a
ward of the state. Lou Ann, outraged by this information, tries
to persuade Taylor to find some way around the law. Taylor feels
hopeless and depressed, and seems ready to give up any effort to
keep Turtle. Lou Ann laments the change in the once-gutsy Taylor.
Mattie has not found a way to get Esperanza and Estevan
out of the state and into another sanctuary. She reminisces with
Taylor about their first meeting, telling the surprised Taylor that
she saw through Taylor’s show of confidence on that first day, when
Taylor struck her as a “bewildered parent.” Mattie tries to tell
her now that no parent can offer a child a perfect upbringing and
that the only question Taylor must ask herself is whether she wants
to do the best she can for Turtle.
Taylor makes an appointment to talk to Cynthia about
Turtle’s custody. Taylor asks if laws regarding custody are different
on Indian reservations, and how she should go about finding out
about how laws differ in other states. Over the course of the conversation, Taylor
realizes that Cynthia is on her side and wants Taylor to keep Turtle.
Cynthia helps Taylor by giving her the number of someone in Oklahoma
who could give her legal advice. After a sleepless night, Taylor
decides she will drive to Oklahoma to take Esperanza and Estevan
to a sanctuary and look for Turtle’s relatives. Lou Ann worries
that Turtle’s relatives might want her back or that Taylor might not
be able to find them, but she forgets the greatest risk: that Taylor could
be caught transporting illegal immigrants. The wise and practical
Mattie, on the other hand, realizes that Taylor has agreed to place
herself in great danger. The night before Taylor leaves, Virgie Parsons
invites Lou Ann, Taylor, and the children over to their porch to
see the cereus. The cereus, which blooms just once a year, and only
at night, has burst into blossoms. The plant’s flowers float above
the women’s heads and smell wonderful. It seems like a good omen.
