The Masterpiece

Jasper has spent the night at Roman’s mansion after the gallery show. The next morning, Jasper prepares to leave, and he once again encourages Roman to pursue a relationship with Grace. When Grace comes over for work, she relays a phone call from Talia, who tells Roman that a police officer attended the show and expressed interest in one of his paintings that featured blackbirds. This scares Roman, as he fears that the police might eventually connect him to the illegal graffiti work done by “the Bird,” whose characteristic sign is a blackbird. Spooked, he thinks it prudent to get out of town for a while. He suggests to Grace that they consider the mural project up in Golden; he proposes they take a trip up to Northern California together to see the site. While Roman assures Grace that the trip will be strictly business, she is nevertheless concerned. She checks in with Shanice and Brian, but they see nothing wrong in her accompanying her boss on a business trip.

Roman and Grace set off on their road trip up toward Golden. As they drive, their conversations naturally help them fill in the gaps in one another’s stories. Both are hesitant to talk about the traumas of their past, but after a while, they learn that they both lost their parents when they were seven: Grace grew up with her parents in Memphis before coming to California to live with her aunt, and Roman says he lost his mother and had thereafter split life between foster homes and the streets. On their drive, Grace makes him stop the car, struck by the beauty of a field of flowers. This makes Roman change his plans, pledging to take her to Yosemite so she can see more natural beauty. As they grow more familiar and friendly, however, Grace begins to worry even more that Roman’s intentions toward her might be romantic or sexual, and she texts Shanice about her concerns.

The narrative skips back to Grace’s childhood, as a seven-year-old in her family home in Memphis, Tennessee. She and her mother are at home, awaiting the return of her father, who often comes home angry. Her mother urges Grace to go hide herself and not to come out until she tells Grace it’s safe. Huddled in the back of her parents’ closet, Grace listens to her father’s voice shouting at her mother, followed by the violent sounds of her father striking her mother. She then hears his sobs of remorse at what had apparently been a fatal blow. Her father opens the closet and takes out a gun; although he sees Grace hiding there, he makes no move against her. He shuts the door, walks away, and then she hears a gunshot. Shortly thereafter, the police come to take her out of the house and have her placed in a foster home. After a few days, Grace’s Aunt Elizabeth arrives from California and takes Grace into her care. Aunt Elizabeth is strict and unaccustomed to caring for children, and amid her grief for her sister, she is unable to give Grace any solace. They fly back to California and Grace begins a new life there.

At Yosemite, Grace marvels at the immense landscapes around, remarking once again that she can’t understand why Roman won’t paint landscapes like these. In the evening, they talk about their contrasting views of the sunset, and Grace encourages him to make use of the Bible in his hotel room. The next day, Roman irately confronts her about this, saying he stayed up reading the opening books of the Bible and still can’t understand why she would believe it. While he has pushed back against her faith in the past, he now seems bitter about it. Though his comments are hurtful, Grace holds her ground with clear, confident answers. They change the subject to read about the history of the mining country into which they are driving, but Roman is still irritated. Soon after, they get into an argument about the women who historically had worked as sex workers there. Grace argues for a compassionate perspective—saying, “Sometimes people make mistakes they can’t undo” (245)—but Roman, who sees the subject through the lens of his mother’s mistakes, is less inclined to forgive.

In this short chapter, the narrative flashes back to Bobby Ray at age 10. He has spent several years rotating through foster homes. When a case worker asks him why he keeps running away, he replies that he is trying to find his mother. The caseworker leaves the office with Bobby Ray’s file still on the desk, allowing him to peek inside. There, he reads that his mother is dead, having overdosed on heroin back when she first went missing.

Roman and Grace drive out of Yosemite, with Grace asking him to stop again so she can admire the landscapes; she picks up a pinecone as a souvenir. Rather than drive straight on to Golden, Roman elects to swing by Masterson Ranch and see if Jasper can meet them there. It is the first time Roman has come back since graduating from the program, and Chet and Susan welcome him warmly. As soon as she sees one of Roman’s early murals, Grace notices references in it that others have long overlooked—names of his street friends and the graffiti signoff “BRD,” corresponding to his name, Bobby Ray Dean. Roman feels nervous, embarrassed, and lightheaded—to the point that Jasper recommends he see a doctor, but Roman laughs off the concern. While talking with the Mastersons, Grace gains insight into Roman’s background, and Roman himself even shares some of the details of his earlier life on the streets.

After leaving Masterson Ranch, they head next toward where Grace’s Aunt Elizabeth lives, as Roman has expressed his desire for a quid pro quo of insight into one another’s past. Aunt Elizabeth receives them graciously despite the short notice of their visit. Roman makes it clear that their trip is simply a business arrangement, but Aunt Elizabeth discerns from Roman’s interest that his feelings for Grace run deeper than that. Miranda Spenser, Grace’s old Sunday school teacher, also arrives to join the visit, and they talk about Roman’s artistic work before Miranda begins to shift the subject toward matters of faith. Meanwhile, Grace and Aunt Elizabeth break off by themselves for a moment, and Elizabeth expresses a desire for the two of them to process the emotional baggage of their family life together.