Stay

Meg returns the favor and watches Gabriela and her brothers while Mrs. Alvarez attends job interviews. They head to the park again, and Piper takes Baby some scrambled eggs she smuggled out. As Piper feeds Baby and refills his water bowl, Gabriela tells Piper that she and her family will be leaving soon, which saddens Piper.

Piper spots Ree and Ajax and goes over to tell Ree that she fed Baby. Gabriela makes an unthinking comment about Baby being better off with a “real family.” Angry and insulted, Ree points out all the other people who live in the park with their pets, describing how well they each take care of their animals and always put them first. They love their animals, and their animals love them back without judgment.

Meg comes over to investigate, and Ree explains she was telling the girls how “people who aren’t lucky enough to have a roof over their heads need their pets more than ever and do their best to take care of them” (84). As Piper leaves with Meg and Gabriela, she tentatively waves at Ree, who responds in kind.