Small Great Things: Chapter 31, Turk Summary & Analysis

Six years later, Turk is at the doctor's office with his daughter, Carys, who's battling strep throat. He tells the reader that he married his wife, Deborah, and took her name. Deborah works nine to five while Turk stays with Carys and speaks for the Anti-Defamation League. He tells people about his hate and his racism and how it consumed Brit, who eventually committed suicide. He tells them about how white supremacists came at night and beat him and Francis, and how he shut down lonewolf.org the next day. He was filing for divorce when Brit killed herself.

Turk says he still struggles with rage, but he's a part of an ice hockey league that lets him slam into people sometimes. He's especially careful around white men with Confederate flags, since he used to be one of them. Those speaking engagements are Turk's penance for the wrongs he did.

The nurse comes in and introduces herself as Ruth Walker. She owns the clinic and seems not to recognize Turk. Ruth examines Carys as Turk looks around the room. He sees a diploma with the name Ruth Jefferson on it, a photograph of Edison graduating from Yale, and a ring on Ruth's finger. As Ruth excuses herself to get the supplies to test Carys's throat, Turk stops her and says, "thank you." After she leaves, Carys points to the tattoo on Turk's left hand, the only one he still has. It says LOVE. Carys asks if it's her name, and Turk says that her name means the same thing in Welsh.