Praisesong For The Widow

Two hours later, Avey finds herself on the wharf instead of on her way to the airport as she had previously planned. The man from the rum shop had taken her to a taxi and back to her hotel to gather her things and rearrange her flight plans. Once back in the car, Avey finally introduces herself to the man—Lebert Joseph—laughing to herself about the absurdity of embarking on a trip with someone she does not know. When she gives him her name, though, it sounds strange and unfamiliar to her.

The wharf is exactly as Avey saw it yesterday: full of people dressed colorfully and the sound of Patois filling the air. Though Avey still feels ”dazed and confused” (197), she begins gaining some lucidity. The sights of the wharf remind her of a distant memory from her childhood: the summer trips her family would take (before she had to go to Tatem to see Cuney) to Bear Mountain Park. During those trips, her parents would get dressed up and prepare food for a reunion with her father’s people, the Gullahs. Seeing the throngs of people arrive, Avey feels as though hundreds of threads connected her to those around her.