The Sentence

Tookie is put on leave from work. She stays in bed for days, thinking about Budgie. Hetta confronts her and forces her out of bed. Hetta says that Laurent claims he’s a “rugaroo,” an inheritable condition that can affect Jarvis. Laurent tells Tookie and her family about his claim to this identity. He claims that his family ancestry is bound to it and that it’s a type of werewolf in the Native American community. Laurent declares that he can’t die and that he was born in a coffin. Hetta seems pleased, but Laurent worries about his future with Hetta because he knows she’s in love with Asema.

Tookie returns to work, this time with other employees in the store. People continue buying books, worried about another lockdown. Pollux and Tookie repair their relationship through intimate dates to the Pow Wow Grounds for frybread. However, Pollux contracts COVID-19. He’s admitted to the hospital, where he’s put on oxygen. Tookie tests negative but camps out in the hospital parking lot. She’s not permitted to be in the hospital with Pollux but is in regular contact with his doctors. She interrogates herself about her past and her resentments toward Pollux.