Praisesong For The Widow

Sitting on a recliner on the balcony of her hotel, Avey imagines Jerome’s anger over her leaving the cruise ship. Her late husband, who worked tirelessly his entire life to provide for her, would be furious to know she forfeited the money for the cruise, a new flight, and the hotel. She also remembers the way he held the past over their heads as a dreadful threat.

She considers how Jerome held onto their former home on Halsey Street, keeping it stocked with supplies and having every type of insurance as though they still lived there. It is in that house that Avey and Jerome find out she is pregnant with a third child, which they do not want and cannot afford. However, abortion is not an option, as they both knew a woman who died miserably from one.

As Avey’s belly grows, Jerome comes home later and looks at her less. She becomes convinced he is sleeping with one of the white salesgirls at work, but he laughs off her accusation, saying he has “enough women for the moment” (96). As her accusations become more frequent, Jerome reminds her that he would be risking his job and his life by sleeping with a young white woman.