Swift River

This chapter contains the first letter from Clara to Sweetie that Lena sends to Diamond. In it, Clara recounts delivering a baby for the first time by herself. The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, but Clara was able to free it and the baby was born safely.

The birth reminded Clara of when Sweetie was born. Clara wishes she had paid more attention to her grandmother when she talked about how to be a midwife. The doctor (“Doctor”) tells Clara that she has a “special talent” for midwifery; he has not lost a baby since Clara started joining him on his rounds.

When Doctor takes Clara through town, townspeople grumble, “[W]ho does she think she is, and what makes her so good she didn’t have to leave town with the rest of ‘em?” (81). Doctor reminds them that Clara helps with the babies; he also promises to help Clara get into Howard University to study medicine if she works well for him. The sheriff, however, warns Clara not to be in town alone after dark.

A second letter, dated September 30, 1915, reports that Doctor’s wife, Miss Rose, has left. Miss Rose confided in Clara that she was in love with Gerald, a Black man, and asked Clara questions about what it was like to be with a Black man—questions Clara could not answer. Clara knows that Miss Rose’s interest in Gerald endangers his life. Nevertheless, Gerald wrote that he would take Miss Rose to Mexico so that they could be together. While Doctor and Clara were away for several days on a call, Miss Rose left.

Police cars circle Diamond’s house after Pop loses his mill job, and Diamond is not allowed to play outside anymore. One day, Diamond decides to follow a police car on her bike to find out what is going on. When she catches up to the cops, they ask if she has “sticky fingers like [her] daddy” and question who gave her the bike (93). That evening, she asks Pop why the cops are after them and he gets angry.

Diamond has had a falling out with her best friend, Champei, a Cambodian refugee whom a local family adopted. Diamond researched her culture and language and befriended her, as Champei is the only other person of color in school. Lately, however, Diamond found herself screaming at Champei, who refuses to play with Diamond anymore. Pop twists Diamond’s arm when she starts screaming about Champei’s refusal to come over.

Diamond’s family attend a barbecue at Tom and Mindy Campbell’s house. Tom was a coworker of Pop’s at the mill. In preparation, Pop goes out to the garden to pick fresh vegetables to make a salad to bring to the barbecue. He’s angry when he sees the neighbor’s basketball has crushed some of the plants.

The Campbell’s house is large, with signs of disposable income like a sports car and motorcycles in the driveway. Tom calls Pop “B.R.” which is a nickname for “Black Rob,” something that Pop hates being called. However, Tom says he might have some work for Pop.

The children play tag, and Diamond hides in the grass, prompting the boys to accuse her of cheating. Tommy Jr. pushes Diamond and she starts to scream. Pop responds by grabbing Tommy by the arm and lifting him into the air. As the family leaves, Pop swears under his breath, knowing that there will be consequences.

On their way home, Pop insists on catching fireflies, saying that it is important to make a good memory. He also urges Diamond not to scream like that again.

Lena writes to Diamond, responding to Diamond’s news and affirming that there was a law in Swift River “saying no ‘Negroes’ were allowed to live in Swift River” (113-14). She gives context for The Leaving: Black workers were paid half the salary of their white counterparts and had no other employment options. With talk of unions, the mill bosses cut pay and raised rent while the townspeople passed laws that reverted the property of Black families to white people. Lena describes the strange tension between the town’s need for the Black community’s labor versus its racism and poor treatment of the workers. The Black residents decided to all leave at once, while the white townspeople followed them and protested.

Instead of blaming Clara for staying behind, Lena is beginning to see her as brave to have stayed while the rest of her people left.

Diamond notes the stark contrast between the amount of memorabilia and family history on her mother’s side of the family and the virtual absence of such things on her father’s side. Now that Lena has sent Clara’s letters, Diamond is starting to feel connected to her Black roots again.

Pop’s death notice runs in the paper for a month. However, there continues to be speculation that Pop is alive but hiding. Jerry, the lawyer, encourages Ma to get a job so that she does not appear desperate for the insurance money. She manages to secure a paper route, but she struggles to do the work.

Diamond spends a day at the Tee Pee Motel with Shelly, swimming in the pool and staying in one of the rooms. While they work together to finish the cleaning so Diamond will be free to swim, they discuss the poor taste of the Tee Pee Motel: “‘Yeah, this whole thing,’ I swept my arms around, ‘is disrespectful.’ Before the Black people were chased out of Swift River, there was a massacre of hundreds of Native American women and children and elders—it happened while they slept. This ridiculous motel is meant to be some kind of tribute” (123-24). Diamond and Shelly discuss leaving together for Florida.