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Lily's Crossing
Trailblazers · 4th–6th
Albert shut his eyes so the hospital people would not take him away with Ruth. Was that a lie?
The tension Lily weighs her own “hundred lies, a thousand lies” against Albert's “only one,” and decides “it wasn’t really a lie. All he had done was keep his eyes closed”: she judges his fear gently and her own harshly.
Notice how Lily weighs Albert’s one secret against her own many stories, and what the pact in the boat asks of each friend.
It is a hot afternoon on Cross Bay Boulevard, and the mailman finally brings Lily a letter from Poppy. She tears it open against the window of As Good As New Shoppe, where Mr. Rowley is dragging a moose head to the sill; it must be a thousand years old, Lily thinks, and it will sit there another thousand. Poppy says little about himself. He writes about the end of summer and asks how many books she has written. “I’ve written about as much as you have,” she says under her breath. There is more about books, and then: “And remember The Promise,” and “That’s the key to it all.” First Lily has to find The Three Musketeers. She hunts under the boardwalk for an hour and finds it, wrinkled and sandy. At the library Mrs. Hailey smiles. She knows she was crabby the other day; she was hot and tired and did not need one more story about a lost book. Lily starts to say no, then smiles and rolls her eyes, and they both laugh. Lily found the book anyway. Mrs. Hailey has searched, even called the library in Jamaica; she can find no book called The Promise. Poppy really knows books, she says, but this time he is wrong. Lily takes A Tale of Two Cities instead. Thunder shakes the room, and Mrs. Hailey sends her home ahead of the storm. The rain begins, and Lily runs, thinking about Albert. She has told a hundred lies, a thousand lies; he has told only one, and it was not really a lie. All he did was keep his eyes closed. The chapter goes back to the boat the other afternoon. Lily backstrokes the oars to keep away from the porches while Albert, eyes shut to show her, tells her the rest. He was afraid of the Nazis in France. When the lady in the gray dress came with the hospital people for Ruth, who was sleeping, he closed his eyes; if he opened them, they would take him too. He could have stayed. He wanted to be safe. He didn’t even say goodbye. His hands are clasped tight, his knees clenched, and he shakes as if cold on that hot afternoon. Lily says she would have shut her eyes too. Nagymamma had told them to stay together, to be a family. Lily says everything Gram might say: the war will end, Ruth will come, they will all be in Rockaway together. Albert begins, “Nagymamma was very old. I think maybe . . .” and stops. Ruth has no one special to watch out for her. The lady slipped Ruth’s address into his coat pocket, but he cannot write to her; he has to go back and get her. Lily says he can’t, and that it is her fault, her lie. Albert tells her that when he left Hungary he swore to be angry and sad forever, and Nagymamma said he would have a good friend someday, almost as if she knew about Lily. Lily makes a pact: they won’t lie; they’ll be brave. “Yes,” he says. But not so brave as to try for the ship. Promise? Now, in the pouring rain, Lily thinks of her father and means to write and ask him about The Promise. Lightning lights the sky, and she sees a rowboat at the edge of the bay, about to cross through the edge of the marshes. It was Albert.
Before reading, ask the student what it feels like to tell a friend a secret you have kept for a long time. Then read aloud to “but this time he’s wrong,” and ask what Lily might do with that news. Read on to the end, and have the student mark the place where the chapter goes back in time and the place where it comes forward again.
Retell The student tells the chapter back in the order things happened, which is not the order Giff tells them: first the afternoon in the boat, from Albert’s closed eyes to Lily’s “Promise?”; then today, from Poppy’s letter and the moose head to the library and Mrs. Hailey’s news; then the run home in the rain, to the rowboat in the lightning. Look for the boat put first, and for the line where the chapter goes back to it: “He had sat in the boat the other afternoon.”
Imitate the author After copying, the student writes one sentence of their own built like Giff’s simile: someone doing something “as if” an opposite were true, with “were” after “as if,” the way Albert is “shaking as if he were cold on that hot afternoon.” Then the student writes a long sentence that piles up what a sudden light shows, joined with “and,” followed by a very short sentence that names one thing, the way the chapter ends. Look for “were,” and for the short sentence landing after the long one.
Debate Take sides on the last written question. First list from the chapter what makes Albert’s shut eyes look like no lie at all: he said nothing false; he was “Very afraid”; Lily says, “I would have shut my eyes”; she decides it “wasn’t really a lie.” Then list what makes it look like a lie without words: he let the hospital people believe something that was not so; he says, “I could have stayed”; he “didn’t even say goodbye”; he shakes as he tells it. The student argues one side, and you argue the other; then switch. Keep to what the chapter shows: no word of whether Albert promised, or why he is out in the rowboat.
Purpose Close with the two promises in the chapter. Poppy writes, “And remember The Promise,” and Mrs. Hailey finds no such book; in the library Lily says, “I’ll tell him,” but in the rain she means to write and ask him about it. In the boat Lily asks Albert, “Promise?” and the page gives no answer before the lightning shows the rowboat. Ask why Giff ends the chapter on “It was Albert.” and not on his answer. Leave it open; the chapter does not say what The Promise is, whether Albert promised, or why he is on the water.
Easier Read aloud together from “He had sat in the boat the other afternoon” to “Promise?” Retell what Albert did when the hospital people came, and what Lily says back to him. Talk through the second and third discussion questions, then answer the last written question aloud.
On level Talk through all four discussion questions in order, then have the student write answers to the two written questions in complete sentences, each with a reason and a line from the chapter. For the last one, have the student set Albert’s “I could have stayed” beside Lily’s “it wasn’t really a lie.”
Harder Have the student mark where the chapter leaves the rain for the boat, and where it comes back: “Now, in the pouring rain.” Ask why Giff tells Albert’s story while Lily runs home through a storm, and what is different about hearing it there. Then have them write a paragraph that sets Albert’s shut eyes beside Lily’s many stories and says whether the pact, “We won’t lie. We’ll be brave,” asks the same thing of each friend. Claim nothing about whether Albert promised or why he is in the rowboat.
1. Mrs. Hailey says she was crabby. Lily starts to say no, then smiles and rolls her eyes. Why doesn’t she say no?Character
What it asks It asks about a small moment at the library. Lily lays the found book on the desk, and Mrs. Hailey, smiling, says, “I know I was crabby the other day . . .” Then: “Lily began to shake her head, began to say no, but then just smiled and rolled her eyes.” “They both laughed.” Mrs. Hailey explains: “I was hot and tired, and I didn’t need one more story about a lost book.” Lily answers, “That’s all right,” and “I found the book anyway.” The student decides why Lily drops the “no” she started. It opens the hinge: before the chapter weighs Albert’s one lie against Lily’s many, it shows Lily choosing between a polite word and a true one. If a student says Lily is only being friendly, ask what a “no” would have meant. The card claims nothing about Lily keeping the pact here; the chapter does not join the two, though a close reader may.
Because “no” would not be true. Mrs. Hailey was crabby, and they both know it. The smile and the rolled eyes say yes, you were, and it’s fine. That is truer than “no” and kinder than saying nothing, and it ends in a laugh.
I know I was crabby the other day . . .
They both laughed.
Because Lily had a part in it too. Mrs. Hailey did not need “one more story about a lost book,” and the stories were Lily’s. The rolled eyes say they were both a bit much that day, so there is nothing to forgive. And this time Lily tells the plain truth about the book.
I was hot and tired, and I didn’t need one more story about a lost book,
I found the book anyway.
A strong answer A strong response might say a “no” would have been a small, polite untruth: Mrs. Hailey says, “I know I was crabby,” and Lily’s smile and rolled eyes agree with her in a friendly way, so “They both laughed.” Another might say Lily knows she was part of the trouble: Mrs. Hailey “didn’t need one more story about a lost book,” and this time Lily simply says, “I found the book anyway.” A thoughtful student may notice that the pact, “We won’t lie,” was made “the other afternoon,” before this visit, though the chapter tells it later. Look for a reason tied to what each of them says.
2. In the boat, Lily tells Albert what Gram might say. The war will end, and Ruth will come. Do those words help him, or make him feel worse?Character
What it asks It asks about Lily’s comfort in the boat. Albert has told her that he left Ruth, and that Nagymamma said “to stay together, to be a family.” “Lily had begun to talk. She said everything she could think of, everything she thought Gram might have said.” The war will be over, she tells him, “and Ruth will come, and maybe even Nagymamma. We’ll all be in Rockaway together.” Albert answers, “Nagymamma was very old. I think maybe . . .” and stops. Then: “She has no one special to watch out for her.” He looks at the breakers and shivers, tells Lily about Ruth’s address in his coat pocket, and says, “I have to go back and get her somehow.” The student weighs what Lily’s words do for Albert. It feeds the hinge: the chapter sets comfort beside the truth just before the friends agree, “We won’t lie.” If a student says the words help because they are kind, ask what Albert says right after them. If a student says they make him feel worse, ask how the talk in the boat ends. The card claims nothing about what happened to Nagymamma; Albert stops before he says.
They make him feel worse. Albert does not take the hope. He stops at “I think maybe,” turns to Ruth alone with no one, and looks out at the high sea. A few lines later he says he has to go back for her. Hearing that Ruth will come only makes him feel how far away she is.
Nagymamma was very old. I think maybe . . .
I have to go back and get her somehow.
They help, though not the way Lily means. Albert may not believe the words, but he keeps talking. He tells her about the lady putting Ruth’s address in his coat pocket, a thing he has kept, and says he will show it to her. Being listened to helps more than what Lily says.
I felt her putting something into my coat pocket.
It’s Ruth’s address. I will show you someday.
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily’s words make Albert feel worse: Albert stops at “I think maybe . . .,” says Ruth has “no one special to watch out for her,” and soon says, “I have to go back and get her somehow,” as if hearing that Ruth will come only shows him how far away she is. Another might say the words help even if Albert does not believe them, because he keeps talking, and trusts Lily with Ruth’s address, which he says he will show her “someday.” A thoughtful student may notice that these are Gram’s words, not Lily’s, and wonder whether Lily believes them herself. Look for a reason tied to what Albert says next, and no claim about what happened to Nagymamma.
3. Lily is crying so hard she can barely see Albert’s face. What is she crying about?Character
What it asks It asks what is behind Lily’s tears in the boat. Albert has said, “I have to go back and get her somehow.” Lily answers, “You can’t go back,” and “It would never work.” Then: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have . . .” She bit her lip. “It was my lie.” Albert says, “I want to tell you something, Lily,” and tells her that when he left Hungary he told Nagymamma he “would be angry and sad forever.” Then: “Lily looked up. It was hard to see his face because her own tears were blinding her.” The student decides what Lily is crying about, from what is said just before. It feeds the hinge: Lily blames herself hard, “It was my lie,” in the same talk where she tells Albert, “I would have shut my eyes.” If a student says she is only sad for Albert, ask what Lily said a moment before. If a student says she cries only about herself, ask what Albert has just told her. Right after the tears, Albert tells her Nagymamma said he would have “a friend, a good friend.” The card claims nothing about what Lily’s lie was, or whether it is what sends Albert out.
About herself. Lily has just said it is her fault, and she bites her lip before she can finish: “It was my lie.” Then Albert says he swore to be angry and sad forever, and she may hear it as more hurt that she caused. She blames herself, and it hurts.
It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have . . .
It was my lie.
About Albert. He has told her he left Ruth without a goodbye, and that Ruth has no one. Now he says he was so angry and so sad that he meant to stay that way forever. Lily has felt it with him the whole time, and she cries for him.
I was so angry, so sad when I left Hungary.
knowing how he felt
A strong answer A strong response might say Lily is crying about herself: she has just said, “It’s my fault,” bitten her lip, and said, “It was my lie,” so Albert’s “angry and sad forever” sounds to her like more hurt she caused. Another might say she is crying for Albert: she has listened “knowing how he felt,” and now he tells her he was “so angry, so sad” that he meant to stay that way. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily is hard on herself here and gentle with Albert, and that Albert’s next words, about “a friend, a good friend,” seem to answer her tears. Look for a reason tied to what is said just before the tears, and no claim about what Lily’s lie was or whether it sends Albert out.
4. Lily asks Albert, “Promise?” We never hear his answer. Why might Giff leave it out?Author's choice
What it asks It asks about a silence. Lily makes the pact: “We won’t lie. We’ll be brave.” Albert says, “Yes.” Then she adds, “But not so brave to try for the ship. Promise?” The next line jumps back to the present, “Now, in the pouring rain,” and his answer is never given. A few lines later, lightning shows Lily “a rowboat at the edge of the bay, about to cross through the edge of the marshes.” “It was Albert.” The student decides what Giff gains by leaving the answer out. It holds the pact’s two pulls: brave enough to tell the truth, but “not so brave” as to try for the ship. If a student says Albert promised, ask where the page shows it. The card claims nothing about whether Albert promised, why he is in the rowboat, or where he is going.
To keep the reader where Lily is. We never hear his answer, so we cannot be sure what he will do. When the lightning shows the rowboat, the reader feels the same jolt Lily does.
But not so brave to try for the ship. Promise?
It was Albert.
Because an answer might not fit the pact. Albert has just agreed, “We won’t lie.” A little earlier he said he has to go back for Ruth. If he cannot say yes and mean it, the honest thing is to say nothing. The gap on the page may be his silence.
We won’t lie. We’ll be brave.
I have to go back and get her somehow.
A strong answer A strong response might say Giff leaves the answer out so the reader is as unsure as Lily: we never hear Albert promise, so the rowboat in the lightning, “It was Albert,” lands as a jolt. Another might say an answer would not fit the pact: Albert has just said yes to “We won’t lie,” and he has said, “I have to go back and get her somehow,” so he may have no honest yes to give. A thoughtful student may notice that Lily’s “But not so brave” pulls against the “We’ll be brave” she said a moment before. Look for a reason tied to the pact and the ending, and no claim that Albert promised or about why he is in the boat.
1. Lily thinks the moose head is a thousand years old. Later she thinks she has told “a thousand lies.” Is she being fair to herself?
What it asks It asks the first half of the chapter’s fault line. Outside As Good As New Shoppe, Lily looks at the moose head: “It must be a thousand years old, Lily thought, and it will be in the window for another thousand.” Running home in the rain, she thinks about Albert: “She had told a hundred lies, a thousand lies, but Albert had told only one.” In the boat she said, “It’s my fault,” and “It was my lie.” At the library Mrs. Hailey said she did not need “one more story about a lost book.” The student judges whether Lily’s count of her own lies is fair, gives reasons, and answers the other side. It sets up the hinge: Lily measures herself harshly just before she measures Albert gently. If a student says Lily really has told a thousand, ask how she counts the moose head’s years. If a student says she only exaggerates, ask what Mrs. Hailey was tired of. The card claims nothing about whether Lily’s lie is what sends Albert out.
Not fair. Saying “a thousand” is how Lily talks when something feels big; the moose head is a thousand years old too. She piles her own lies up high and makes Albert’s small, “only one.” She even takes the blame for his trouble, “It was my lie,” when he has a reason of his own: Ruth.
It must be a thousand years old, Lily thought, and it will be in the window for another thousand.
She had told a hundred lies, a thousand lies, but Albert had told only one.
Fair enough. The number is too big, but the point is true. Lily’s stories are many, and she makes them up on purpose; even Mrs. Hailey is tired of them. Albert’s was one frightened moment. Counting hers as many and his as one is honest.
I didn’t need one more story about a lost book
It was my lie.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue Lily is not fair: she thinks in big numbers, a moose head “a thousand years old,” and she piles up “a hundred lies, a thousand lies” against Albert’s “only one,” then takes the blame, “It was my lie,” for a plan Albert has his own reason for. Another might argue she is fair enough: the number is too big, but her stories are many and made up, so many that Mrs. Hailey did not need “one more story about a lost book,” while Albert’s was one frightened moment. A thoughtful student may notice the word “only” and ask whether Lily is being kind to Albert, hard on herself, or both. Look for both of Lily’s counts weighed, and no claim that her lie sends Albert out.
2. Albert shut his eyes so the hospital people would not take him away with Ruth. Was that a lie?
What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. In the boat Albert closes his eyes to show Lily. “The lady with the gray dress came with the people from the hospital,” he says, “and I closed my eyes. It wasn’t that they were mean.” Ruth was sleeping, and one of them said, “Poor little girl.” “I knew if I opened my eyes they would take me with them. I could have stayed.” And: “I wanted to be safe. I didn’t even say goodbye.” As he tells it, his hands are “clasped tight together,” his knees “clenched,” and he is “shaking as if he were cold on that hot afternoon.” Lily says, “I would have shut my eyes.” Running home, she decides, “And it wasn’t really a lie. All he had done was keep his eyes closed.” The student judges whether shutting his eyes was a lie, gives reasons, and answers the other side. If a student says it was not, because he said nothing, ask what the hospital people would think when they saw his eyes shut. If a student says it was, ask what Albert was afraid of. The card claims nothing about whether Albert promised not to try for the ship, or why he is later on the water.
Not a lie. Albert said nothing false. He kept his eyes shut because he was afraid of the Nazis in France, “Very afraid.” Lily, who knows a lie when she tells one, says she would have done the same, and she decides it “wasn’t really a lie.”
I was afraid of the Nazis in France,
I would have shut my eyes.
A lie without words. Albert let the hospital people believe something that was not so, so they would leave him. He calls it a choice, “I could have stayed,” and he is still shaking as he tells it. He did not even say goodbye.
I knew if I opened my eyes they would take me with them. I could have stayed.
He was shaking as if he were cold on that hot afternoon.
A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue it was not a lie: Albert said nothing untrue, he was afraid, “Very afraid,” and Lily decides “it wasn’t really a lie” and says, “I would have shut my eyes.” Another might argue it was a lie without words: Albert let the hospital people believe something false so they would leave him, he calls it a choice, “I could have stayed,” and he is “shaking as if he were cold” as he tells it. A thoughtful student may say it can be both: a lie made by fear, which may be why Lily judges it so gently. Look for Albert’s own words weighed against Lily’s, and no claim about whether he promised not to try for the ship.