Heaven

Marley explains that she, Momma, Pops, and her brother Butchy moved to Heaven, Ohio, from California 12 years ago when her mother came across a postcard on a park bench that was postmarked “Heaven.” Marley recalls Momma’s belief that Heaven would be a small, quaint town that would be a good place to raise a family. Pops also wanted to move to Heaven because it had an accessible Western Union, which would make it easier to wire money to Uncle Jack. Only after discovering the Western Union did Pops realize that Heaven would also be a good place to raise a family and Marley’s many pets. Pops tells Marley that her love of animals is just one of many things that reminds him of his twin brother, Uncle Jack, who travels around the country in his truck with his dog, Boy.

Uncle Jack, currently in western Kansas, sends a letter to Marley. He describes the beauty of the sunflower fields and encloses a few sunflower seeds. Marley explains that she has never met Uncle Jack, as he has been traveling since she was born. He tried to visit them a few years ago in Heaven but found the house empty and left after two days. Marley figures that Uncle Jack’s surprise visit coincided with the family’s vacation to Cleveland. Marley enjoys spending time with her family, but she wonders what Uncle Jack looks like, as she has only seen one photo of him and Pops as young boys. In the photo, Pops and Uncle Jack sit with the first of many dogs that they will name “Boy.”

Marley introduces her best friend, Shoogy Maple, who has been kicked out of multiple schools. Shoogy always wears rain boots, and recently moved to Heaven with her family. They meet at Ma’s Superette while Marley is wiring money to Uncle Jack. Shoogy and Marley bond over feeding Ma’s cat. Marley explains that “[Shoogy] wasn’t like anybody in her family and like everybody in mine” (15). Marley judges Shoogy’s family for seeming too perfect and notices that Shoogy changes when she is around her family.

Marley describes an incident in which she and Shoogy were sitting in a tree in Shoogy’s yard. Suddenly, Shoogy’s family pulled up in a brand-new Cadillac. Shoogy was upset to see the new car and kicked the front of it before taking off down the street as her family watched her from inside. Marley was surprised and worried by her friend’s reaction. A few days later, Shoogy told Marley that she saw a “shadow with a warm glow” (17) following Pops around. Shoogy becomes frustrated with Marley when Marley was unable to see it. Shoogy became more frustrated with Marley when Marley sat in the new Cadillac, marveling at the reclining seats. When Shoogy explained that she used to compete in beauty contests, Marley realized that behind her odd façade, Shoogy was beautiful. This conversation made Marley distrust Shoogy’s family and wonder what secrets Shoogy might be hiding.

Marley explains that rather than using a photo ID to access his wire funds, Uncle Jack gives Marley’s family a list of code words to use for each day of the week. Marley has had these words memorized for years and reflects that she does not know much about her uncle. Oftentimes after wiring him money, Marley sits outside the Superette and tries to envision him, but he remains a mysterious and shadowy figure.

Marley and Shoogy’s friend, 16-year-old Bobby, drives them and his baby daughter, Feather, to Amish country. Marley has babysat Feather often since last winter. In doing so, Marley has befriended Bobby and enjoys spending time with him and Feather even when she is not working.

Shoogy, Marley, and Bobby eat rhubarb pie in a field by Route 608, and Marley reflects that both Shoogy and Bobby have secrets. Marley explains that she refrains from asking, not because she is not interested in her friends’ lives, but because she knows that people move to a new town to “start all over and forget what happened before” (26). Marley sits with her friends, watches Amish women working, and thinks that today is nearly perfect.

Marley receives a letter from Uncle Jack dated May 24. Uncle Jack describes meeting a man whose father was born in the early 1900s and yet the man could still remember his father’s voice. Uncle Jack states that he can also recall the voices of people who are gone, such as the man who saved him from drowning during the Vietnam War and then died while trying to save someone else.

Uncle Jack confesses that he has been thinking about settling down and staying in one place, rather than moving every few months. He is thinking of Marley and her family. He then answers questions from one of Marley’s previous letters, stating that he plays the guitar. He asks if Marley’s father still plays. Uncle Jack reveals that he may come to Heaven to surprise Marley and her family. He asks her to send love to “your dad, mom, brother, and anyone who means anything to you” (31).

Marley tells her mother that Bobby picked up a hitchhiker the day before. Her mother tells her never to hitchhike. Momma’s reaction makes Marley reflect that although people in Heaven tend to distrust outsiders, her two best friends have lived in Heaven for less than a year and fit in well.

Marley takes Feather to the playground and reads a book about Montana while Feather plays in the sand. Although Marley checks on Feather “every thirty seconds” (33), she soon realizes that she should not be reading while she is supposed to be watching Feather, thinking that parents in general tend to be anxious about their children.

That evening, Bobby picks up Feather from Marley’s house, and Feather promptly falls asleep on her father’s shoulder. The image conjures a memory of Marley’s early childhood, when she helped her father wash the car. Marley realizes that she was making more of a mess than helping, but her father just smiled and let her put soap on parts of the car he had already rinsed.