Chapter 27 — Teaching Companion

What it asks It asks about Margaret’s house, the last thing Lily passes before the bridge. The bottom-floor windows are “still shuttered,” Margaret “might never come back to Rockaway” and Gram has heard that Mrs. Dillon “couldn’t bear to be there without him”: without Eddie, who is “still lost somewhere in France”. The student decides whether Lily, who is missing someone too, would rather have stayed away, and points to what she does on the way and once they arrive. It ties to the hinge from the side of what the war years took: Albert is not the only one missing from Rockaway this summer. If a student says yes, ask why Lily runs for the water before the car has even stopped. If a student says no, ask what the bridge says to her a minute later, and why she turns her face to the window. Claim nothing about what has happened to Eddie; the chapter says only that he is still lost.

One reading

Part of her would. Rockaway is full of Albert the way it is full of Eddie for Mrs. Dillon. The bridge that welcomes Gram tells Lily that Albert is gone, and she has to press her face to the window so no one sees.

• Lily nodded a little, but the bridge wasn’t saying that for her.
• She pressed her forehead against the car window

Another reading

No. She can hardly wait to get there. Rockaway is where she wants to be, even with Albert gone: she is out of the car before it stops, and the sea is the first place she goes.

• back to the Atlantic Ocean at last
• She hardly waited for the car to stop moving before she was out the back door, running for the sand and the water.

Listen for

• Places the moment: Margaret’s shuttered house, and why Mrs. Dillon stays away.
• Says whether Lily would rather have stayed away, and gives a reason.
• Uses the shutters, Mrs. Dillon staying away without Eddie, the bridge, Lily’s face at the window, or Lily running for the water.
• Does not say what has happened to Eddie.

If stuck

• Whose house do they pass just before the bridge?
• Why won’t Margaret be there this summer?
• What is at Rockaway that Lily could not find anywhere else?

A strong answer A strong response might say part of Lily would rather have stayed away: the bridge says “Al-bert’s gone,” and she has to press her forehead to the window so Gram and Poppy will not see, so Rockaway is full of Albert the way it is full of Eddie for Mrs. Dillon. Another might say no: Lily is out of the car before it stops and runs straight for the water, because Rockaway is where she wants to be, even with Albert gone. A thoughtful student may say both are true, and that the place that hurts most is the very one she runs to. Look for a reason tied to what Lily does or feels after Margaret’s house.

What it asks It asks about Gram on the bridge. She turns in the front seat to say “Listen, Lily . . .” and, when the tires hit the planks, tells her the sound is saying “Wel-come back, wel-come back” and raises her arms: “Alleluia.” The student decides why Gram turns to Lily in particular. It takes up the first half of the hinge’s tension, Gram’s word for the sound, before the student weighs Lily’s. If a student says Gram is just happy, ask why she turns to Lily and not to Poppy. If a student says Gram is trying to cheer Lily up, ask what Gram might know about how Lily feels today, and when she turns around: before the bridge, or after. Keep the talk on Gram; whether Rockaway is the same is the last written question.

One reading

She is glad and wants to share it. Gram is coming home to the sea, and the bridge is the sound that says so. Her arms go up and she calls out to heaven. A happy thing is better with someone to share it.

• Gram raised her plump arms in the air.
• Alleluia.

Another reading

She wants to give Lily a happy word for the sound before Lily can find a sad one. Gram turns around before the tires reach the planks, as if she knows what the bridge might say to Lily this year.

• “Listen, Lily . . .” Gram turned in the front seat
• It’s saying, ‘Wel-come back, wel-come back.’

Listen for

• Places the moment: Gram turning around as the car reaches the bridge.
• Says why Gram wants Lily in particular to hear, and gives a reason.
• Uses Gram turning in her seat before the bridge, her raised arms or her “Alleluia”.
• Keeps the talk on Gram, and leaves whether Rockaway is the same for later.

If stuck

• What does Gram say the bridge is saying?
• Who does Gram turn around to talk to?
• What might Gram know about how Lily feels today?

A strong answer A strong response might say Gram is simply glad: she raises her plump arms and calls out “Alleluia.” She wants Lily to share the welcome. Another might say Gram turns to Lily on purpose, before the tires even reach the planks, to give her a happy word for the sound before Lily can hear a sad one. A thoughtful student may say Gram can be glad and worried at the same time. Look for a reason tied to what Gram says or does on the bridge.

What it asks It asks about Lily in the sea. She wades in, and “The water was icy cold on her feet and ankles, numbing.” She does not get out. She looks out at the gray rock near the jetty, splashes her face, digs her toes into the sand and whispers to Albert. The student decides what holds her there. The prompt names only the cold; finding the rock, the empty beach and what she hid in the car is the student’s work. It ties to the hinge from Lily’s side: in the car she kept her feelings hidden, and the water is the first place she lets them out, to someone who cannot answer. If a student says Albert, ask what she is looking at, and where she pictures her words going. If a student says she wants to be alone, ask what she kept from Gram and Poppy in the car. The copywork already asks about the word “numbing”; keep this talk on Lily. What her whispered words mean is the first written question.

One reading

Albert does. This is the place where the two of them looked out for Europe, and the waves go the way she wants her words to go. Standing in the water is the nearest she can get to him.

• the place where she and Albert had first looked for Europe
• picturing her words sliding out to sea the way the waves did out to Europe

Another reading

She has something to say, and this is the first place she can say it. In the car she hid her eyes and her tight throat from Gram and Poppy. Here the boardwalk is empty, and she stays until she has whispered it.

• She didn’t want Gram or Poppy to know her eyes were prickling and her throat was tight.
• She kicked off her shoes and left them on the empty boardwalk

Listen for

• Places the moment: Lily standing in the icy water, looking out at the rock.
• Says what keeps her there, and gives a reason.
• Uses the rock where she and Albert looked for Europe, the waves sliding out, the empty boardwalk, or what she hid in the car.
• Does not say Albert hears her, or where he is.

If stuck

• What does Lily look at while she stands in the water?
• Who else is on the beach?
• What did Lily hide in the car, and from whom?

A strong answer A strong response might say Albert keeps her there: she is looking at the rock where the two of them first looked for Europe, and she pictures her words sliding out with the waves toward Europe, so the cold water is the nearest she can come to him. Another might say she stays because she has something to say and this is the first place she can say it: in the car she hid her prickling eyes from Gram and Poppy, but the boardwalk is empty, and she does not leave until she has whispered it. A thoughtful student may notice that even alone she only whispers. Look for a reason tied to the water, the rock or the car.

What it asks It asks about Poppy at the water. Right after Lily whispers, “Poppy was in back of her, his strong hands around her shoulders, pulling her into the dry warmth of his shirt.” He says nothing, and they stand there “for another moment” before walking back. The student decides why Poppy has no words. The prompt names only what he does at the water; setting it beside what he said in the car, “I told you. It’s all the same.”, is the student’s work. It ties to the hinge from Poppy’s side: the man who said it was all the same is the one who comes to hold her. If a student says Poppy understands now, ask what he could see from the beach. If a student says he does not know what to say, ask what Lily and Gram did when he spoke in the car. Do not let the talk make Poppy careless or blind; the chapter does not explain his words in the car, and whether he was right is the last written question.

One reading

He understands now. He has seen Lily alone in the icy water, and he knows what she is missing. Nothing he could say would help, so he holds her, and they stay a moment longer.

• Then Poppy was in back of her
• They stood there for another moment

Another reading

He does not know what to say. In the car his words did not fit how Lily and Gram felt: they looked at each other and remembered. He has nothing better to say this time, so he holds her instead.

• “The same,” Poppy said.
• Lily and Gram looked at each other, nodding, remembering.

Listen for

• Places the moment: Poppy behind Lily at the water, right after the whisper.
• Says why Poppy says nothing this time, and gives a reason.
• Uses his words in the car, the look between Lily and Gram, his strong hands, the dry warmth of his shirt, or the moment they stand together.
• Does not make Poppy careless or blind to how Lily feels.

If stuck

• What does Poppy do at the water?
• What did Poppy say in the car, and what did Lily and Gram do then?
• What could Poppy know without hearing a word?

A strong answer A strong response might say Poppy understands: he sees Lily alone in the icy water, no words would help, so he holds her and they stand there “for another moment” before walking back. Another might go back to the car: there he said it was all the same, and Lily and Gram only looked at each other, so this time he has nothing to say and holds her instead. A thoughtful student may notice that Poppy never asks what is wrong. Look for a reason tied to what Poppy does at the water, and, for the strongest answers, what he said in the car.

What it asks It asks about where Giff ends the chapter. On the boardwalk a cat stands “watching her, ready to run.” Lily’s mouth is dry, the blowing sand stings her face, and she asks one word: “Paprika?” Then “Slowly she held out her hand.” The chapter is over. The student decides why Giff stops before the answer. It ties to the hinge: Lily has come back to a place where some things are gone, and here is one thing that might still be there, and the chapter will not say. If a student says it is only to make us read on, ask what Lily is feeling in that last moment, and whether the reader feels it too. If a student says the cat is Paprika, point out that Lily only asks. Do not say whether the cat is Paprika.

One reading

So we wait with Lily. Her mouth is dry and she moves slowly; she wants this so much she hardly dares. Stopping here makes the reader hold out a hand and hope too.

• Lily could feel the dryness in her mouth
• Slowly she held out her hand.

Another reading

Because nothing in this chapter is sure. The cat could run, and Lily can only ask. A day full of things that are gone ends on a question, not an answer, so hope and loss stay side by side.

• watching her, ready to run
• “Paprika?” she asked.

Listen for

• Places the moment: the cat on the boardwalk and Lily’s held-out hand.
• Says why Giff stops there, and gives a reason.
• Uses the dry mouth, the stinging sand, the cat “ready to run”, the one-word question, or the slow hand.
• Does not say whether the cat is Paprika.

If stuck

• What does Lily see on the boardwalk?
• What does she say, and what does she do with her hand?
• How would the chapter feel if it went on one more line?

A strong answer A strong response might say Giff stops so the reader waits with Lily, mouth dry, hand out, hoping. Another might say the chapter is full of things that are gone, so it ends on a question: the cat is “ready to run” and nothing is promised. A thoughtful student may notice that this is the second time today Lily speaks to someone who may not answer: first Albert, through the sea, then the cat. Look for a reason tied to the last few lines.

What it asks It asks about the words Lily sends out to sea. Standing in the icy water, after the thought “Suppose she never saw Albert again?” she whispers, “You’re my best friend, Albert,” and then, “the best friend I ever had . . .” The first half speaks to him now; the second can be heard as something over. The student decides which Lily means, and writes reasons. It brings the hinge’s turn down to a single word: Lily has come back to Rockaway changed, and the student weighs how much. If a student says had, ask why she begins with “You’re”. If a student says has, ask what Lily is afraid of just before she speaks. Claim nothing about whether Albert is coming back; the chapter gives only Lily’s fear.

One reading

One she had. Lily is afraid she will never see him again, and the bridge has already told her he is gone. The word “had” slips out because part of her thinks the friendship is in the past.

• Suppose she never saw Albert again?
• Al-bert’s gone, Al-bert’s gone.

Another reading

One she has. She speaks to him as you, right now, and “ever had” means the best friend of her whole life, not one that is finished. She is still talking to him, so he is still her friend.

• “You’re my best friend, Albert,” she whispered
• the best friend I ever had

Listen for

• Takes a position, a friend she has or one she had, and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
• Answers the other side.
• Uses the word “You’re” or the words “ever had” and the fear Lily has just before she speaks, the bridge, or the words she pictures sliding out to sea.
• Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about whether Albert will come back.

If stuck

• Where is Lily when she whispers?
• What does she wonder just before she speaks?
• Can a friend you may never see again still be your friend now?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue Albert is a friend she had: just before she speaks she wonders, “Suppose she never saw Albert again?” and the bridge has already said “Al-bert’s gone.” Another might argue he is a friend she has: she begins with “You’re my best friend,” spoken to him now, and “the best friend I ever had” can mean the best of her whole life, not one that is finished. A thoughtful student may say Lily means both, and that the two halves of her whisper hold her hope and her fear side by side. Look for reasons from the chapter on both sides.

What it asks It asks the whole question of the chapter. In the car Poppy says, “I told you. It’s all the same.” Lily and Gram look at each other, “nodding, remembering.” Then the page says, “It would never be the same.” The student decides who is right and answers the other side. Things that seem not to have changed run all through the chapter: the bridge under the tires, the calm water, the gray rock near the jetty, the beach Lily runs to. Things that have changed run through it too: Margaret’s shuttered house, Eddie still lost, the rock without Albert, and even the car, which has “new tires now, and gas in the tank”. If a student says Poppy is right, ask what Lily hears on the bridge and why her eyes prickle. If a student says Lily and Gram are right, ask what at the water is still there, and who comes to hold her. The chapter does not explain Poppy’s words. Claim nothing about Albert or Eddie beyond what the chapter says, and nothing about the cat.

One reading

Poppy is right about the place. The bridge still makes its sound, the tiny waves still slide out, and the gray rock still juts out by the jetty. Rockaway has waited for them, and Lily runs into the sea the minute she can.

• I told you. It’s all the same.
• Tiny waves folded on themselves, then slid out to sea

Another reading

Lily and Gram are right about the people. Margaret’s house is shut and may stay shut, Eddie is still lost, and Albert is not on the rock where he and Lily looked for Europe. The place may look the same, but who is missing from it changes everything.

• Margaret wouldn’t be there this summer, might never come back to Rockaway.
• It would never be the same.

Listen for

• Takes a position on who is right, and gives at least two reasons from the chapter.
• Answers the other side.
• Uses Poppy’s words, the look between Lily and Gram, Margaret’s shuttered house, the bridge, the water and the rock, the new tires and gas, or Poppy holding Lily.
• Writes in complete sentences, and claims nothing about Albert, Eddie or the cat beyond what the chapter says.

If stuck

• What does Poppy say near the end of the drive?
• What do Lily and Gram do when he says it?
• What in Rockaway is the same, and what is not?

A strong answer A strong response takes a position and answers the other side. A student might argue Poppy is right: the bridge, the tiny waves and the gray rock are all still there, and Lily runs to the sea the minute the car stops. Another might argue Lily and Gram are right: Margaret’s house is shuttered, Eddie is “still lost somewhere in France,” and the rock where Lily and Albert looked for Europe has no Albert on it. A thoughtful student may say both are right about different things: the place is the same, but Lily is not. Such a student may add that Poppy’s words could be a hope rather than a mistake, since he is the one who comes to hold her at the water. Look for reasons from the chapter on both sides.