The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Chapters 15–18 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapters 15–18

Chapter 15: The Worm

Fioria Carissimi, Big Soap's mother, uses town gossip from friends and neighbors, including Pia Fabicelli, to piece together what happened at the store between Chona and Doc Roberts. Pia implies that Doc Roberts may have gotten too handsy with her as well, at some time in the past, though she hides this from her husband, Matteo, who would certainly take action if he learned the truth. Fioria grows worried about her son and yells at Big Soap to stay out of it, demanding a full account of what happened that day at the store. Big Soap, Rusty, and Fatty tell her everything they know, including that Chona was found with her clothes rumpled, as if someone had tried to take them off.

Chapter 16: The Visit

Chona is still comatose at the hospital, and Addie and Moshe visit her constantly. Addie rarely leaves Chona's side. One day, Moshe and Nate arrive while Addie is sitting by Chona's bed. Addie is adamant that Chona will recover. Addie and Nate leave Moshe alone with Chona and quietly converse in the hallway. Nate urges her to stay quiet about what she saw Doc doing to Chona, but Addie stands firm on what she saw. He tells her that Doc is sticking to the story that he went to the store in search of Dodo, who attacked Doc when he arrived, and that Chona fell in the process. Nate also reveals to Addie that he has not been to see Dodo yet, and Addie understands that his hesitancy stems from his own past experience in prison. Addie suspects that Reverend Spriggs was the one who told the man from the state that Dodo was at the store, but she does not want Nate to know, fearful of what he may do. However, Nate eventually begins to figure it out himself, and Addie urges Nate to focus on going to see Dodo instead.

Chapter 17: The Bullfrog

Back in town, a bullfrog has been discovered in the local mikvah, a ritual bathhouse for Jewish women, and the issue falls to Rabbi Karl Feldman to deal with. Local Jews, including Mr. Hudson and two young men, Hirshel and Yigel, meet to discuss the issue. Mr. Hudson expresses concern over the mikvah's water supply and cites the water supply as a possible cause for the presence of the bullfrog.

The Rabbi discloses that there is sometimes an issue with the shul's, or the synagogue's, water because the town does not provide water to the shul. Chona's father had previously had an off-the-record agreement with a nearby farmer to use the farm's water. However, because Yakov died 4 years ago and he had no official contract with the farm, the shul's water supply is now murky. For a time, Chona was literally bringing water by hand to the shul and wrote a letter to the police about the Plitzka farm's refusal to supply water to the shul. The eldest Plitzka son, Gus, never forgave Chona for the letter she wrote and, when the town builds a new reservoir, ignores the shul's requests that their water be connected to the city's pipes. Gus even cites Chona's protests as proof that Jews were taking over the town.

The Rabbi reveals that, as per Yakov's methods, they have been tapping into a local well's pipes without explicit permission. Making matters more complicated, the Plitzka family now owns Clover Dairy, where the well is located. Essentially, they have been stealing water from the Plitzkas and with antisemitism already running rampant in town, they are bound to get into trouble. The men learn that Shad Davis, a Black man and Fatty and Bernice's father, was involved in digging the unsanctioned connection to the well.

Chapter 18: The Hot Dog

Back at the hospital, Chona wakes from her coma to the smell of a hot dog. She sees Moshe asleep beside her, exhausted in his grief, and Chona is flooded with a sense of profound love and affection for her husband. She understands that she is dying and wants to voice to Moshe that he should let her go. Chona sees many people in her hospital room when she fully wakes. She asks about Dodo and learns of the poor boy's fate, triggering a painful episode in which Chona convulses in agony. Seeing that she is getting worse, Moshe orders everyone out of the room so they can be alone. Outside the hospital room, Rabbi Feldman, Isaac, and Marv discuss the water situation but are interrupted by Moshe's agonized cry, signaling that Chona has died.

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