Silver Sparrow

Chaurisse pulls over at a gas station and says they should call James because she has bent the rim. Dana says this is unnecessary and that she will find someone to fix it in the gas station. While Dana goes in, Chaurisse calls James and asks him and Raleigh to come get them. Shortly after, Dana returns with a man who is willing to help in exchange for money. As he is trying to get to Chaurisse’s jack, Chaurisse explains that she called her father and he will take care of it. Dana gets upset at the mention of James’s impending arrival and tries to pay the man $20 to drive her to Atlanta, but he refuses. Dana goes to the phone booth and calls her mother to come get her, then heads to the bathroom to wait for James and Raleigh to arrive.

When they show up, Chaurisse tells Raleigh that her friend, Dana, is acting strange and has trapped herself in the gas station bathroom, so she is going to go check on her. Raleigh realizes which Dana is in the bathroom and tells James while they fix Chaurisse’s tire. After the tire is changed, James and Raleigh go into the gas station, and James knocks on the bathroom door, announcing his presence to Dana. He asks if she is okay, which she confirms, but when he asks if her mother is en route, she refuses to answer. James starts to get angry, so Raleigh hustles them to the car, where James shoves Chaurisse inside. Upset by her father’s actions and worried about her friend, Chaurisse jumps out of vehicle as it starts to pull away.

When Chaurisse hits the ground, James stops and pulls over but never “kill[s] the engine” (285). Raleigh gets out and tries to help Chaurisse into the car, but Chaurisse demands to know why they are racing away from Dana. She then asks Raleigh why he is still single. He dismisses her questions and asks her to have faith in him. While they talk, James keeps impatiently blowing the horn, irking Raleigh, who is trying to handle things calmly.

Before they can pull away, Gwen and Willie Mae pull up, blocking James’s exit with their car. Gwen jumps out and approaches the driver’s-side window, furious. She asks where Dana is and says to James, “Tell me you were not going to just leave her out here” (287). When James retaliates by saying he knew she was on her way, she starts speaking to Chaurisse, asking her to explain what happened. James blasts classical music to drown her out, but both Gwen and Willie Mae refuse to move. Once Gwen realizes she can’t be heard, she storms off to the bathroom to collect Dana. James chases after her, while Raleigh hangs back and talks to Chaurisse. He keeps calling her Dana, which upsets Chaurisse, who keeps having to correct him. They watch as Dana finally exits the bathroom, only to look at James and say, “I’ve never seen your legs before” (289).

Forbidden from seeing Dana because James and Raleigh told Laverne she was on drugs, Chaurisse fantasizes about a way to reconnect with her. In the meantime, she helps her mother prepare for the party James and Raleigh are throwing her. They go to an expensive dress shop and pick out a “lush cream” gown for Laverne. As they are longer seeing Gwen, James and Raleigh are now home all seven nights of the week, and though the atmosphere in general is merry with the upcoming party, Raleigh seems dejected all the time. As the party gets closer, some of the salon customers beg Laverne to put her dress on for them. She agrees to give them a show and runs upstairs to change. When she returns, they applaud her outfit and the bustle Chaurisse ties for her.

As Chaurisse is fidgeting with the bustle, Dana and Gwen walk in. Gwen demands to talk to Laverne, but Laverne tells her to come back when she isn’t busy. Gwen refuses to leave and keeps shoving a document in Laverne’s face, telling her to read it. Laverne refuses to read the paper and continues to demand Gwen leave. Chaurisse rips the paper from Gwen’s hands and reads it, but she immediately calls “bullshit” when she sees the marriage license. Laverne grabs the paper from Chaurisse and tosses it aside, saying there is nothing on the paper worth her time. Gwen digs in her purse, trying to find another piece of evidence of her relationship to James. After a few minutes, Dana admits she has what Gwen is looking for. Chaurisse, worried about what could be worse than the marriage license, begs Dana not to give the object to Gwen, but Dana does, and as soon as Laverne sees Miss Bunny’s brooch she cannot stop repeating “no” (306). After a few seconds of stunned silence, Chaurisse tells Gwen and Dana to leave, refusing to return Miss Bunny’s brooch.