Walk Two Moons

Before Phoebe can explain her theory about Mr. Cadaver, the family settles down for a healthy, vegetarian dinner. Phoebe’s parents remind Sal of her own maternal grandparents: “Like the Pickfords, Mr. and Mrs. Winterbottom spoke quietly, in short sentences, and sat straight up as they ate their food. They were extremely polite to each other, saying ‘Yes, Norma,’ and ‘Yes, George,’ and ‘Would you please pass the potatoes, Phoebe?’” (28). Sal notices, however, that Mrs. Winterbottom seems somewhat unhappy: She often tries to strike up a conversation, only to sigh and fall silent when no one acknowledges her.

As Phoebe walks Sal home, she says she thinks Mrs. Cadaver chopped up her husband and buried him in the yard. As Sal lies in bed that night, her thoughts drift to a memory involving blackberries and her mother. One morning she and her mother woke to find John had left flowers for them on the dining room table. Instead of immediately embracing her husband, however, Sugar began crying about how she would never be able to measure up to his generosity. The next day, she surprised her husband and daughter with dishes of blackberries: “She pulled me to her and said to me—though it was meant for my father, I think—‘See? I’m almost as good as your father!’ She said it in a shy way, laughing a little” (34).