Homecoming

Dicey stops to confront her grandmother. Abigail recounts receiving a letter from Connecticut identifying the children and explaining their situation. She calls Maybeth the r-word and echoes concerns about Sammy being a troublemaker; Dicey knows the letter is from Father Joseph or Eunice. Abigail tells Dicey the children can sleep at her house but not stay with her permanently. She leads Dicey through well-maintained fields ripe with crops to a motorboat in a marsh. Dicey notices how Abigail moves like a young woman. They travel through the marsh, bay, and river, arriving in the town where Dicey left James, Maybeth, and Sammy. Dicey panics when she cannot see her siblings. Sammy appears, explaining that James doesn’t want to wait for Dicey any longer and has decided to walk to Abigail’s house. Maybeth followed, but Sammy refused. Dicey compliments Sammy for his smarts; Dicey wouldn’t have otherwise known where her family was had he not remained in town. Sammy, Dicey, and Abigail return to Abigail’s farm, where James and Maybeth stand by the mailbox.

Abigail instructs the boys to collect crabs from traps in the marsh. She then leads Dicey and Maybeth upstairs to prepare the beds with sheets, pillows, and blankets. Dicey asks about a paper mulberry tree, visible from a bedroom window and wrapped with wire. Abigail explains that it’s rare and fragile, needing her protection. Dicey sees echoes of children who once lived in Abigail’s house—her mother, aunts, and uncles. Next, Abigail sends Dicey to the barn to collect potatoes for dinner. Although the barn stands in significant disrepair, Dicey is excited when she sees a sailboat. Dicey and Maybeth help Abigail prepare dinner while Sammy and James attempt to extract the crabs from their traps, a process they find hilarious, though Sammy gets pinched several times.

They eat dinner slowly, as extracting the crab meat is tedious work. Abigail asks questions and converses with the children throughout the long meal. Abigail tells the children more about their father, a man she liked. She tries to tell the children that Liza doesn’t love them or she wouldn’t have left them, but Sammy is the first to defend their mother. Abigail explains Liza should have returned to the family farm when the children’s father left, but Dicey insinuates that it wasn’t a safe environment for her or the children. After dinner, Abigail supervises the children as they wash dishes and clean the kitchen. Dicey announces that the children will swim and fish in the marsh, resetting the crab traps with fish bait. Dicey loves the calm water of the marsh. She ushers the children inside as evening falls, setting each one up with clean clothes and toothbrushes with paste. They share a hair comb. Dicey explains that Abigail doesn’t want the children to stay, but all four children tentatively agree that they like Abigail’s big house, farm, land, and marsh.

When Dicey wakes the following morning, she feels confident that her grandmother wants the children to stay, though she likely has mixed feelings. Dicey feels determined to earn their keep and prove to Abigail that the Tillerman children are helpful. They begin with the overgrown honeysuckle that has claimed the farmhouse’s large front porch. To their surprise, Abigail wakes and makes the children pancakes while they work. When Dicey tries to make all four children’s beds, Abigail insists that each child make their own. She is impressed with James’s vocabulary and knowledge about the local wildlife. Later, they drag the honeysuckle branches to the marsh and begin repairing the screens on the porch after a relaxing swim. Abigail disappears with the boat, returns with groceries, and prepares a hearty meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with butter, and vegetables.

The children continue to work for four days, moving to different rooms in the house and repairing the large wrap-around porch. They discover large bookcases filled with books, much to James’s delight. James tells Abigail stories about their journey, and Abigail comments on how self-sufficient the children are. Dicey notices Maybeth’s arm is injured when Maybeth sneaks into her room during a thunderstorm one evening. They wake to rain, and Dicey thinks they should spend the day working on the barn. Instead, Abigail is overwhelmed with harvesting and canning and enlists the children’s help. They quickly run out into the rain and load crops into bushels, bringing them to Abigail, who works sanitizing jars, slicing, and canning. Maybeth cannot carry her bushel, so James and Dicey must help. Dicey catches Abigail smiling and laughing at Sammy when he runs around in the rain and rolls in the mud like a dog.

Maybeth spills milk on the kitchen table, and Abigail cruelly snaps at her. She accuses Maybeth of being mentally challenged. Dicey defends her sister, and Maybeth explains her injured arm. Abigail retrieves a salve and gauze; she wraps the arm and instructs Maybeth to rest it for several weeks. She also tells her granddaughter to speak up when she’s in pain. Sammy disappears in the rain, and Dicey worries for his safety. She calls out to him from the porch. When he eventually reappears, Dicey runs to get him a towel so he doesn’t drip in the house. She returns to see Abigail scolding Sammy, and Sammy talking back to his grandmother. Dicey intervenes and then sends Sammy upstairs for dry clothes. Abigail worries that Dicey is ruining her youngest brother by not punishing him, but Dicey defends her siblings. Dicey sticks to her principles but worries that doing so might cost them their stay at Abigail’s farm.

On the fifth day at Abigail’s house, Will and Claire stop by to check on the children. They bring four bikes, announcing that all the circus workers chipped in, wanting the kids to have an easier way to travel. Dicey introduces Will and Claire to Abigail; Will and Claire explain the difficulties they experienced trying to get in touch with the family without a telephone. Abigail explains that she received a call from the United States military informing her of her son’s death, after which she threw her phone through the telephone company’s window. Though Abigail calls her son by his nickname, Bullet, they learn his name is Samuel. They wonder if Liza named Sammy after her brother and if she loved him and was sad when he died. Abigail cooks crabs and tomatoes for lunch, declining Will and Claire’s offer to take everyone to a restaurant.

Will leaves Dicey with contact information for his booking agent in New York and instructs her to contact him should they need help. Dicey cannot smile when she says goodbye to them. Later, Sammy rides his bike and disappears for hours, making Dicey worry again. He returns at dinnertime, and Abigail tries to make him go to his room without eating. Dicey intervenes, telling him that he can eat but cannot ride his bike for two days. Abigail sits furiously, and Dicey tries to explain that they’re all too familiar with being hungry, and it’s a cruel, ineffective punishment for the children. When Abigail tries to reclaim authority, Dicey points out that she hasn’t accepted them as her family, and she asks Abigail outright if they can stay permanently. Abigail replies with a simple no. Defeated, Dicey goes to bed and falls asleep immediately.

Dicey wakes in the middle of the night. Unable to sleep, she contemplates the Tillerman children’s next move. They could either set up camp near the circus and lie about their address to a school or return to Eunice and insist the children remain together. She wants to talk to James about their options. Seeing a light in the kitchen, Dicey finds Abigail writing at the kitchen table. She apologizes to Dicey for yelling earlier and explains that she’s writing Eunice a letter. Abigail recounts how, when she was married, she lived an obedient life as she promised. This meant standing by her husband when he abused their children. She remembers yelling at Liza not to return home until she was married, an act she regrets. Since her husband died, Abigail has allowed herself to live free of other’s demands, and she’s not ready to lose that independence. She also doesn’t have enough money to keep four children and refuses to take government assistance. Abigail feels she’s failed her own children and doesn’t want to fail her grandchildren. Dicey tells Abigail that she understands and that they will leave soon, but she also doesn’t believe Abigail will fail them. Dicey cries herself to sleep, her eyes swollen shut from the act.

Dicey sleeps in late the following morning. She wakes to find Abigail making bread in the kitchen. Dicey realizes she likes her grandmother’s fiery personality; she considers Abigail’s appearance beautiful. Dicey starts to say her goodbyes, but Abigail interrupts and explains they must wait to hear back from Eunice before making any decisions. She intends to enroll the children at school for the time being. She’ll mail her letter to Eunice when they venture into town for school. The younger children have all decided to visit Janes Island by boat. Abigail accompanies them with a packed lunch, and the children enjoy a day out adventuring. For a few days, Dicey continues to work on fixing the barn, though Abigail tells her the work is unnecessary. The children, except Sammy, take long bike rides exploring the area. Maybeth’s arm heals, but Abigail insists she continues to wear a sling for two weeks. Dicey allows herself to enjoy a few days without thinking about their next move. Still, she forces herself to stop thinking about the sailboat in the barn—she considers that her prize had the children been permanently accepted by Abigail, which is now a lost cause.

Abigail dresses in nice clothes and packs a pocketbook. The children see her wearing shoes for the first time. Abigail takes the children to Crisfield’s elementary school. The guidance counselor assists with enrollment, contacting the Tillermans’ last school for records. James is on an accelerated track, and Sammy will start in second grade. The guidance counselor needs Maybeth to complete reading and math tests before placing her in third grade, which goes against their former school’s recommendations. Abigail prevents Dicey from sitting in on the tests with Maybeth. Dicey will start junior high school the following morning.

Dicey helps Abigail shop in town. The bill totals over $40, which alarms Dicey. Abigail is familiar with the store clerk and asks about social security and government assistance. The store clerk answers with dignity that it is her right to claim money she needs and contributes to via taxes. They leave the store just in time to collect James, Sammy, and Maybeth from school. The children help with carrying groceries, and Abigail introduces them by name and as her grandchildren to the store clerk. Sammy asks Abigail what the children should call her. Abigail replies that she would like to be called Gran. Dicey reminds her grandmother that she needs to mail the letter to Eunice. Gran rips the letter, telling the children they will stay with her. She plans to accept government assistance, keep chickens and other farm animals, and start a Christmas tree farm to afford the necessary expenses. Dicey feels at home in her heart. She asks Gran if she can fix up the old sailboat in the barn, and Gran agrees to help teach Dicey to sail.