Monday’s Not Coming: Chapter 29. The Before Summary & Analysis

Claudia is at Uncle Robby’s house, watching Daddy’s band practice for a new set. Since Ma won’t let Claudia actually go to the show, she has to settle for this—though she’d give anything to go. When the band wraps up, Daddy leads Claudia to the car. He says she seems quiet and asks about the lump on her forehead. Claudia tells him she ran into a wall, but he doesn’t believe her. He thinks a boy hurt her. As Daddy starts the car, he reminds Claudia that she can tell him anything. Claudia responds that disappointments are part of life, revealing that she heard her parents’ conversation not long ago.

Claudia continues to refuse to tell Daddy what’s wrong, insisting he’ll think she’s a baby if she speaks up. They drive in silence the long way home, past the D.C. monuments. Close to home, Daddy asks if he ever told Claudia about the day she was born. Claudia knows that Ma was in labor for 19 hours, but she’s never heard about Ma’s pregnancy. Daddy says that Claudia wanted to be born badly. She kicked incessantly, and Ma was sick for months and had fake contractions all the time. They went to the hospital twice for bleeding. Even though Claudia was born too early, it was a relief that Ma didn’t have to be pregnant anymore.

Claudia realizes that Ma was suffering the entire time she was pregnant. Daddy admits that Ma didn’t want Claudia to know how hard it was because she doesn’t want Claudia to blame herself—and this has nothing to do with Ma’s other miscarriages. Daddy says that regardless, Claudia came into the world to make everyone else happy, and he wants her to keep living—even without Monday around. Thrilled to have made Claudia feel loved, Daddy suggests they get fried rice at Mr. Chang’s and not tell Ma.

When Claudia steps into the restaurant, she bumps into April. Daddy greets April happily and little Tuesday comes out from behind April to hug Claudia. As Claudia embraces the little girl, she notices that she smells like a dirty diaper. April looks ready to run, but when asked, she tells Claudia and Daddy that Monday is back home. Claudia asks Tuesday if she’s been playing with Monday, and Tuesday says she is—but Monday is “always hiding in the closet.” April looks spooked and says Tuesday is playing; Monday’s at Tip’s. Daddy doesn’t notice April’s trembling hands or Claudia’s anger. Tuesday asks Claudia if she’ll come and play and Claudia promises she will.