Nothing to See Here

Lillian’s mother opens the door and only nods at the sight of the trio outside. Lillian asks if she can come in, to which her mother responds, “[I]t’s your house too “ (152). Emotional at this, Lillian introduces the twins and quickly leads them upstairs to her attic room. The room is still in the same dirty state as when she left, with leftover food and dust everywhere. The twins are very hungry, so Lillian leaves them to go find food downstairs because her mother is “[...] not good with kids” (158). After refusing Lillian’s offer to order pizza, her mother sighs and points to mac and cheese and hot dogs. Her mother shares that Carl tipped her off with a call the night before and a bribe for information about the runaway trio. She did not call Carl back. Eventually, Lillian’s mother invites Bessie and Roland downstairs to join them, and she pulls her chair over to eat with them. She compliments Lillian on the meal, which reminds Lillian that her mother always loved her cooking.

After eating, Roland and Bessie fall asleep, but Lillian spends a while in restless reflection. She is saddened by the seemingly inescapable cycle of moving out and back in with her mother again. She worries she has condemned the twins to a fate as hopeless as her own and that they will eventually have to return to the estate. A memory of her childhood returns to her. One day, shortly after her expulsion from Iron Mountain, her mother’s engine caught on fire before school. Lillian tried to extinguish it with water, but her mother just looked into the flames. She beckoned Lillian to join her, calling it “kind of pretty” (161). Sighing after another futile attempt to douse the fire, Lillian abandoned the car, and they both took the day off. Lillian’s mother spent the following 24 hours locked in her room. It was then Lillian learned that she and her mother will always have separate lives.

Lillian imagines asking her mother why she hates her and her mother replying that Lillian is wrong: She has always loved and protected her. She imagines hearing her mother tell her about making sacrifices to keep her safe, including from her unknown father. She also imagines them sharing a relaxed and sincere hug. Bessie stirs and asks Lillian about their future. She learns they will eventually have to go back and kisses Lillian, who strokes her hair. Bessie asks how much time is left in summer, and Lillian responds, “a long time” (162).

Lillian wakes the next morning to a disappointed Carl standing above her. He hoped she would have gone somewhere else to hide. Her mother called him in the night, ratting them out in exchange for $1,000. Lillian asks about the state of the mansion and the explanation given to the fire department. Despite Jasper’s crying about his “family home,” it is only mildly damaged, and he used a local connection to keep the matter quiet. Carl hands Lillian a phone to call Madison and offers to take Bessie and Roland for ice cream. They hold hands with him and go as far as the living room so Lillian can have privacy.

Lillian is tempted to run, but thinking of the twins, she calls Madison. Madison confesses her fear at discovering Timothy is a “fire child” and her shame at having dropped him (164). She criticizes Jasper’s weakness in wanting to send Timothy away, and Lillian reminds Madison that she was okay with that fate for Bessie and Roland. Madison says that it was not a definitive plan and that she felt guilty about it—even if it took her longer than a “normal person” (165). Lillian commends her on the cover-up, which Madison found simple because people with her wealth and confidence can say “almost anything” (165).

Madison breaks down her plan: Timothy will stay with her, and she will stay with Jasper so she can access political power and money (she has already been approached to run for the now vacant Tennessee senatorial post). She is confident she can handle one child since Lillian manages two. Next, she asks if Lillian “wants” Bessie and Roland permanently, offering legal guardianship while Jasper keeps the public appearance of being their parent. Jasper will provide for them financially and visit them occasionally, but they would be Lillian’s children. Lillian is uncertain because she fears doing a bad job. Madison reassures her that no parent is perfect and that no one will judge her if she isn’t. Lillian accepts the offer, and before hanging up, Madison finally says, “I love you” (167).

In the silence afterwards, Lillian is happy to finally get something she wished for, while simultaneously overwhelmed by the new life she is about to start. She gets dressed in some of her old clothes and favorite basketball shoes and goes downstairs. She says goodbye to Carl and relays the news to Bessie and Roland. Bessie briefly turns red at Lillian affirming she wants them, but there is no fire. The twins choose to stay with Lillian without hesitation, and together they depart for a nearby basketball court.