Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

An hour after Margaret and her parents get to their house in New Jersey, a girl in a bathing suit rings the doorbell. The girl introduces herself as Nancy Wheeler, a fellow sixth grader. Nancy is tall with bouncy hair like Margaret wants to have, and she invites Margaret to play in the sprinklers. Margaret asks Mom if she can go, and Mom says she can, but she has no idea where Margaret’s bathing suit is. Nancy offers to let Margaret borrow one of hers.

Nancy leads Margaret six houses down Morningbird Lane to a house that looks much the same as Margaret’s. In Nancy’s room, the first thing Margaret notices is the dressing table with a mirror shaped like a heart—just like Margaret has always wanted. As Nancy fishes out a swimsuit, she asks for Margaret’s birth month (March) and explains that since the school divides up the sixth graders into three classes based on their birthdays, they’ll be in the same class. Nancy’s birth month is April.

Nancy offers Margaret a yellow swimsuit, assures her it’s clean, and tells her it’s fine to change in the bedroom. Margaret starts to wiggle into the swimsuit. It’s kind of creepy the way that Nancy watches Margaret struggle into the too-big swimsuit. Margaret leaves her shirt on as long as she can; she doesn’t want Nancy to see that her chest isn’t developing yet. Nancy laughs that Margaret is still “flat,” but Margaret says she’s just “small boned.” Nancy insists that she’s already growing and will look like a girl from Playboy soon. Margaret doesn’t think this is true; Dad gets Playboy and Nancy doesn’t look anything like the girls in the magazine. Nancy looks more like Margaret.

As Nancy adjusts Margaret’s straps, she admits she thought Margaret would be more mature since she’s from New York—city girls grow up faster. She asks if Margaret has ever kissed a boy. Margaret admits she hasn’t, and Nancy sighs that she hasn’t either. Margaret is thrilled; they seem to be on more equal footing now. But then, Nancy says she practices kissing a lot and demonstrates on her pillow. Margaret is aghast, especially when Nancy then opens her dressing table drawer to reveal makeup. Nancy explains that she experiments so that when she can start wearing makeup in eighth grade, she’ll be ready. She puts on pink lipstick and asks Margaret’s opinion.

Margaret notes that the lipstick is bright, so Nancy rubs it off and then brushes her long hair. Nancy asks if Margaret always wears her hair pinned up. Margaret insists she’s growing her hair out and it’s currently in an awkward stage, but Mom wants her to wear it down more so it hides that her ears stick out. Nancy says she noticed Margaret’s ears, finds Margaret a towel, and then leads her outside.

First, Nancy introduces Margaret to her mother, Mrs. Wheeler. Margaret answers her questions about where she lived in New York and what her parents do. Mrs. Wheeler asks Margaret to tell Mom about the Morningbird Lane ladies’ bowling team and bridge games, but Margaret explains that her mother paints. With a laugh, Mrs. Wheeler offers to help Mom arrange her carpool to Sunday school. Margaret says she doesn’t go to Sunday school and, at this, Nancy drags Margaret away. Mrs. Wheeler calls after the girls that she wants to talk to Evan.

Nancy tells Margaret that Evan is her “disgusting” older brother. Fourteen-year-old boys are disgusting because they only want to look at pictures of naked girls. Margaret takes Nancy’s word for it, since she doesn’t know any 14-year-old boys. Then, Nancy adjusts the sprinkler and leads Margaret through. When they’re standing under it, the water suddenly turns on full blast and drenches the girls. Nancy shrieks that she’s going to tell and races away. Margaret finds herself alone with two boys.

Margaret introduces herself, and Evan introduces himself and his friend, Moose. Moose offers to cut the lawn for Dad, but Margaret can’t help thinking of what Nancy said—the boys must be trying to look down her swimsuit. Mrs. Wheeler screams for Evan, and when Nancy returns, Moose teases her about not being able to take a joke. Nancy apologizes to Margaret for the boys’ behavior, gives Margaret her clothes, and offers to walk her home.

At Margaret’s house, Nancy tells Margaret to keep the suit, have Mom wash it, and then give it back—it’s an old suit anyway. Margaret had guessed, but she thinks it’s rude to say so. Then, Nancy tells Margaret to make sure she wears loafers without socks on the first day of school. She wants Margaret to join her secret club, and the other kids in it will think Margaret is a baby if she wears socks.

Mom and Dad take Margaret to a hamburger place for supper. Margaret tells Dad about Moose’s offer to mow the lawn, but Dad insists they moved out here so he can cut his own lawn. Later that night, Margaret wonders when she’ll get used to this house—the closets are as big as bathrooms. Once she’s in bed with the light off, there are shadows on the wall. She struggles to fall asleep.

Margaret tells God that she’s in her new bedroom, and it’s so quiet here—she’s afraid. She met Nancy today, and Nancy seemed disappointed that Margaret wasn’t more adult. Margaret asks God to help her start to grow breasts, and then she shares that Mom and Dad don’t know that she talks to God. They’d think she was weird, so Margaret talks to God privately, in her head. According to Mom, “God is a nice idea” and “belongs to everybody.”