Mama Day

Narrated from a third-person omniscient point of view, this section follows the novel’s titular character, Cocoa’s great aunt, Miranda “Mama” Day, and her sister, Abigail, as the two prepare for Cocoa’s return to Willow Springs. Miranda’s neighbor, Bernice Duval, stops by to visit, and the two discuss a supposed fertility drug that, according to Bernice, is “supposed to work miracles” (73). Berenice has been struggling with infertility, and she worries her husband, Ambush, will leave her if she cannot have a baby. Skeptical of the fertility drug’s efficacy, Miranda counters that “the only miracle is life itself. And when it comes, it comes” (73). Bernice ambiguously suggests that the two go to the “other place” to help Bernice conceive, but Miranda quickly changes the subject, suggesting she is uncomfortable continuing the discussion.

Miranda then goes to Abigail’s house to wait for Cocoa, who will be picked up from the airport by Dr. Buzzard, a “hoodoo doctor” (88) Miranda considers an “out-and-out bootlegger and con man” (87). After playing a prank on Miranda by pretending to have misunderstood what she meant by her “honey,” Dr. Buzzard reveals that he has indeed brought home Cocoa, who excitedly greets her grandmother and great aunt.