An American Marriage

Dre relates his long drive to Eloe—he admits he is uneasy because he is a black man driving a Mercedes through the backwoods of the Deep South where such a thing is sufficient to raise alarms with the police: “Besides my conspicuous skin, my car was a stunner” (218). When Dre gets to Roy’s home, Roy’s father tells him that his son is on his way to Atlanta. He extends Dre hospitality for the night and cautions him not to interfere—not to call Celestial and alert her: “Give Roy this one night” (223).

Celestial takes over the narrative. She is working in her doll shop, Poupées. The store is busy. It is late in the Christmas season, the day before Christmas Eve, and she is rushing to fill orders for her pricey high-end one-of-a-kind dolls. She is preoccupied thinking about Dre’s trip to Eloe. She is not content to let the men work this out without her. She remembers marrying Roy and how her father, during their bridal dance, had whispered to her, “Let the man be the man sometimes” (225). She glances through the store window and sees a figure she thinks for a second is Roy. It is, she decides, another “Roy-ghost” (228).

We know that it is Roy—he takes over the narrative and tells of watching his wife through her store window, working with customers. Her hair is cut close—he remembers winding his fingers through her hair. He is uncertain how to move forward, what to do. He had imagined this reunion so often in prison he is uncertain how to actually do it. He gets cold and ends up taking a deep nap in the car. When he wakes up, he watches Celestial for a bit before he decides to go home. He fingers his key ring. He still has the key.

Celestial narrates the reunion. She comes home from work and finds Roy in the house, waiting, sitting at the head of the dining room table: “I’m home, Celestial. I’m home.” (236). Celestial is taken aback. She assumed Roy was in Louisiana. The moment, although a complete surprise, feels somehow “completely inevitable” (237). Roy asks her whether she loves him, a question at once simple and complicated. She cannot answer. Rather, the two move to the couch and Roy, overwhelmed, lowers his head into his wife lap and falls asleep, Celestial’s arms around him “like a blanket” (238).

When he awakens, the two awkwardly discuss their marriage. Roy narrates. He moves toward her and pleads with her to ask him to forgive her. Do that, he says, and everything can go back. He kisses her and pulls her close. Please, he begs, “Let me forgive you” (241). The question is left unanswered. Rather Roy’s narrative jumps to the following morning when Celestial’s assistant from the store arrives with materials for Celestial’s doll making. The woman brings her baby, a son of about five. Roy is drawn to the child and thinks the son he and Celestial aborted would be about his age. 

Celestial then relates what had happened that previous night, how the two, husband and wife, moved to the bedroom, slipped easily out of their clothes, dimmed the lights, and began to make love. Celestial kills the mood when she demands Roy use protection. Roy agonizes over the implications of the question. He asks whether Celestial is worried about getting something from him or did want not to get pregnant with him. Either way, he is devastated. Desperate, he confesses to her that he had killed a man in prison. “I’m in pain, Celestial” (249), he pleads. He refuses to use protection but reassures Celestial he would never take her without her consent. He is, he intones, no rapist.

He leaves the bedroom and wanders through the darkened house. He goes into Celestial’s workshop and stares at the rows of exquisitely realized dolls. He sees rows and rows of happy faced dolls. Impulsively he reaches for one and savagely punches its face. He settles into the couch but picks up the phone and calls Davina. She tells Roy how Celestial, coming into Walmart late the night of Olive’s funeral, had confessed to her that she was a terrible person. Roy then understands how long his wife had been involved with Dre.