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.