Absolution

In April of 1963, Tricia is delighted to learn that she is pregnant. She stops visiting the hospital, making up a series of excuses to keep her pregnancy a secret. In early June, while getting ready to attend a dinner party, Tricia suffers a miscarriage. Worried about the stigma surrounding pregnancy loss, Tricia hides the embryo and retires to bed while Peter goes on to the party. Hours later, Peter returns with a drunk military doctor who dismisses Tricia’s concerns outright.

When Charlene arrives several hours later, Tricia tells her about the miscarriage. Charlene comforts her and distracts her with stories. Minh-Linh, the Kellys’ cook, brings Tricia a small stone figure that Charlene identifies as Dizang, a Buddhist deity responsible for watching over the spirits of miscarried and stillborn children. Together, they bury the embryo under the statue. Charlene divulges that she has also suffered a miscarriage in the past. Several weeks later, Tricia rejoins Charlene’s volunteer group.

Tricia recounts more about her relationship with Stella. Stella grew up in a large, rambunctious Irish Catholic family with six siblings. Tricia enjoyed spending time at Stella’s house, a contrast to the quiet home she shared with her father after her mother’s death.