Contents
Chapter 24: Annie
Overview
Annie, under pressure from Bobo to stop searching, visits her mother’s address with Babydoll and learns from neighbors that Hattie Lee died a month earlier. Overwhelmed, Annie faints, then hears fragments about Hattie’s recent life. Back home, grief reframes Annie’s bond with Bobo, and she writes Granny, sending money and relinquishing the search.
Summary
Under mounting tension with Bobo over her relentless search for her mother, Annie enlists Babydoll to finally visit the address she has for Hattie Lee. On a sweltering May day, they walk across town, arguing about mothers and survival. A run-in with a guard dog draws out two neighbors, Sweet and Isaiah, who reveal Hattie Lee died about a month earlier.
Shocked, Annie faints and is revived on the neighbors’ porch. Over tea and crackers, Sweet—who prides himself on spiritual discernment—recounts renting to Hattie and observing her struggles with drink and money. He admits he nearly evicted her and regrets harsh last words. They describe a young woman and her baby who lived with Hattie, though identities remain unclear. Seeing Annie’s photo confirms Hattie’s identity; Sweet is surprised to learn of a daughter back in Louisiana.
Sweet and Isaiah debate faith and “discernment,” while Babydoll reveals her given name and a painful history with her own mother. Annie absorbs that Hattie concealed parts of her past and that her end was rumored to have occurred at work, with no clear burial details.
Returning home, Annie finds Bobo tending the cactus terrarium he once gifted her. She tells him plainly that Hattie Lee is dead. Bobo probes her feelings; Annie says she feels “spelled,” recognizing grief’s hold yet conceding the search must end. After a tense moment, Bobo apologizes, and they edge toward a fragile reset.
Annie writes Granny, explaining she delayed the visit out of shame and longing to be someone her mother could be proud of. Accepting the loss, she encloses five dollars to aid another girl’s education, resolving to honor Hattie by letting go.
Who Appears
- Annie Kay HendersonDetermined to find her mother; learns Hattie Lee died, faints, confronts grief, and decides to end the search.
- Babydoll (Ruth Ann)Annie’s friend; accompanies her, shares a painful past, challenges illusions about Lulabelle and mothers.
- BoboAnnie’s partner; frustrated with the search, then supports her grief as they cautiously reset their relationship.
- SweetNeighbor and landlord; reveals Hattie Lee’s recent life, his regret over near-eviction, and confirms her death.
- IsaiahSweet’s housemate; corroborates details about Hattie, banters over faith, assists when Annie faints.
- Hattie LeeAnnie’s mother; recently deceased; had housed a young woman and baby, kept parts of her past hidden.