The Memory Keeper’s Daughter: Chapter 21: November 1988 Summary & Analysis

Caroline is riding the bus with Al, Phoebe, and Phoebe’s boyfriend Robert—another boy with a developmental disability who joyfully greets all the other passengers on the bus with a handshake before sitting down next to Phoebe. They are all on their way to the Upside Down Society’s annual dance. Caroline can tell that Robert and Phoebe are in love, and is happy for them for having found such a “rare” thing. As the bus moves through the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Phoebe counts aloud how many stops away they are from their destination.

At their stop, Caroline realizes that Al has nodded off. She shakes him awake, and they all disembark the bus. Caroline expresses worry for Al—he still drives his rig, but as the two of them get older, they tire more easily and long for time to themselves. Caroline asks Al if he’s going to be in good enough shape to head out on the road tomorrow morning. Al insists he’s fine.

Last week, Caroline received a letter from a law firm downtown, instructing her to contact the office “regarding an account in [her] name.” She called at once, and learned that David Henry died three months ago—before his passing, he set up an account for Phoebe. Caroline doesn’t know how much money is in the account, and she needs to visit the firm to find out. She hasn’t broached the topic with Al yet, and is waiting for the right moment to do so.

At the day center, the dance is in full swing. Al and Caroline join Robert and Phoebe on the dance floor. Phoebe spends time at the center several days a week already, and is on a waiting list for a room of her own. Caroline can tell that Phoebe wants more independence—but as the day of Phoebe’s move inches closer, she finds herself unable to imagine daily life without her daughter.

Caroline steps off the dance floor to get some punch. She doesn’t see Phoebe anywhere, and decides to go look for her. She wanders the halls of the center into the kitchen—where she finds Phoebe and Robert kissing. Caroline tells the two of them to break it up—Phoebe protests that she and Robert are going to get married. Caroline asks Robert to leave her and Phoebe alone for a moment, and he glumly leaves the room. As he passes Caroline, he tells her that he and Phoebe are in love.

After Robert leaves the room, Phoebe crosses her arms and defiantly tells Caroline that people are allowed to kiss the ones they love—she points out that Caroline and Al kiss often, and reminds Caroline that she wants to marry Robert. Caroline tells Phoebe that she can’t get married. Caroline asks Phoebe where the two of them will live, and Phoebe answers simply: she and Robert will buy a house, live there, and have babies. She points out that the two of them have money from their jobs. Caroline reminds Phoebe that she won’t be able to work and have babies at the same time—her heart breaks as she does, knowing she is poking holes in her daughter’s simple, beautiful dreams.

That night, at home, Caroline tells Al about her conversation with Phoebe. They fret about what to do about her burgeoning sexuality and desire for independence. At last, Al reminds Caroline how hard she’s worked all her life for Phoebe’s autonomy and independence—maybe, he says, it’s time to let Phoebe move to the group home and have some freedom. Caroline tells Al that she fears he feels burdened by Phoebe’s presence, and is afraid he’s going to leave the two of them. Al asks why Caroline is lashing out at him—in response, she shows him the letter from the law firm.

Al reads the letter, and suggests the two of them go together to the firm to find out how much money is in the account. He offers to take a day or two off later in the week to help Caroline sort things out. Caroline, relieved by Al’s simple outlook and ability to turn her problems into non-issues, expresses how grateful she is for him, and the two of them kiss tenderly.

In the morning, Caroline makes breakfast for her and Al. He suggests the two of them try taking a trip alone soon, leaving Phoebe with a caretaker to see how she does on her own. Caroline says she likes the idea, and wants to make it happen soon. Al leaves in his rig, and Caroline realizes that they need to begin preparing Phoebe to live on her own—the two of them are not going to live forever.

The next day, during dinner, Phoebe takes out a small plastic puzzle and begins playing with it. Caroline asks where Phoebe got the puzzle, and Phoebe tells her that she got it from a friend she met on the bus. Phoebe also divulges that this new friend, Mike, asked her to come over to his house to show her his pet bird. Caroline, sensing something fishy, offers to take the bus with Phoebe tomorrow so that she, too, can meet “Mike.” The next day on the bus, there is no sign of Mike. Caroline sadly tells Phoebe that whoever the man was, he was probably trying to trick her. Caroline reminds Phoebe that not everyone she meets is good and nice.

On Friday, Caroline arrives at Phoebe’s job at a local copy shop to pick her up from work. She watches through the window as Phoebe makes copies and jokes with a co-worker. She marvels at how far Phoebe has come—but the incident on the bus has reignited her concern for Phoebe’s well-being and ability to live on her own. 

Caroline takes Phoebe home. When they arrive, the phone is ringing. Caroline picks it up—and learns that Al has driven off the road and been involved in an accident. He is in the hospital nearby with a broken leg. Caroline hangs up, carefully explains to Phoebe what has happened, and drives both of them to the hospital to visit Al. Caroline is grateful that nothing worse has happened to the man she loves, and embraces him as soon as she sees him. Phoebe, frightened, begins crying. Al comforts Phoebe, and helps her understand what has happened to him. When she asks where his truck is, Al tells her it’s “really smashed up.”

Al comes home after two days in the hospital. He is a terrible patient, and as the days go by, Caroline finds herself exhausted and worn out. A week after the accident, Caroline is preparing to pick Phoebe up from work when a noise out the back door startles her. She looks out the window to find Robert and Phoebe standing there. Phoebe happily announces that she took the day off after swapping shifts with a co-worker, and she spent the day with Robert. Phoebe reiterates that she and Robert are getting married. Caroline, frustrated, tells Robert that he needs to leave and go home.

Before he goes, Robert presents Caroline with a bunch of red roses. When Caroline asks what they’re for, he tells her that it’s Saturday—she realizes that Saturday is usually the day Al comes home from his long haul, with flowers and a gift in hand. Caroline realizes that Robert and Phoebe must have purchased the flowers together. Warmed by the gesture, she tells them both to come inside.

Caroline hears Al calling for her, and goes up to check on him. She asks him how his pain is, and he tells her he’s feeling okay, but announces that he’s not going to drive a truck anymore. He confesses that a part of him has been expecting an accident like this for years—now that it’s finally come, he doesn’t want to push his luck further. Caroline tells Al it would be a good time for him to retire—she reveals that she has gone down to the bank to check on the account for Phoebe, and found that there is a lot of money in it. Though the money’s just for Phoebe, it’s enough that she’ll be taken care of—and Caroline and Al can live off their own savings.

As Caroline heads back downstairs to fix dinner, she hears Phoebe and Robert laughing and joking together in the living room. Caroline pauses and takes a deep breath—everything is all right. Her husband is home, her daughter is happy, and all is calm.