Into the Terrible Night
- After weeks of drought and exhausting heat, a rainstorm is finally on the horizon.
- Mattie wants Taylor, Esperanza, and Estevan to witness something spectacular, so she brings them up to a lookout. From there, they can see the entire Tucson Valley. Taylor says that "the city was like a palm stretched out for a fortuneteller to read" (12.7). How ominous.
- Together, they watch the storm roll in from the south. When it breaks over them, it's a miraculous experience, and they jump and yell and dance together in the thunder and rain. If you don't know the word cathartic, now's a good time to get your dictionary on.
- But don't get too excited about the emotional high. When Taylor gets home, she can see right away that something's wrong.
- Lou Ann is waiting for her on the porch, and looks as though she's been crying, or screaming, or both. At least, not getting out her emotions in a healthy way like dancing in a thunderstorm.
- Lou Ann tells Taylor that something has happened to Turtle. Taylor rushes inside, where Virgie Mae and Edna Poppy are sitting with Turtle.
- Turtle has reverted back to the catatonic state she was in when Taylor first took her.
- Lou Ann tells Taylor that Edna Poppy and Turtle were together in Roosevelt Park. Turtle was playing and singing, but suddenly went quiet. Edna could hear sounds of struggling, and swung her cane high to stop whatever was happening to the child.
- It seems clear that Turtle was attacked by an unknown stranger in the park, but no one knows exactly what happened.
- Soon, the police arrive. Along with a social worker. Uh oh.
- The social worker talks to Taylor for a few minutes, but Taylor is in shock. She wanders away to help Virgie Mae remove a bird that has gotten into the house, leaving Lou Ann and Edna Poppy to sort things out with the social worker and the police.
- Turtle receives a full medical examination soon afterwards. The examiner tells Taylor that there is no evidence that the child has been sexually assaulted or wounded in too serious a way. But she is badly bruised, and it's clear that the experience has terrified her.
- Turtle hasn't spoken a word since the attack.
- Over the next few days, Lou Ann becomes frustrated with Taylor, who seems to have withdrawn from Turtle just when the child needs her most. Shock can do nasty things, guys.
- Basically, the attack has made Taylor feel inadequate as a caregiver, and she spirals into a severe depression.
- Lou Ann does her best to support both Taylor and Turtle while each of them copes with the trauma. As you might guess, it's a pretty dark moment. Everyone could use a thunderstorm to dance around in.