This Tender Land: Chapter 60 Summary & Analysis

Aunt Julia invites Odie in and feeds him sandwiches. The reunion is not as warmly emotional as Odie imagined. Aunt Julia is surprised that Odie rode the rails “like a hobo,” and she seems to disapprove when he speaks of running away from school, despite his tales of beatings and Billy Red Sleeve’s death. She only asks about Albert as an afterthought. Odie shares his desire to live with her. At first, Aunt Julia says this isn’t possible, but then she says he can stay temporarily. She remarks that Odie is nearing manhood, seeming proud. Aunt Julia shows Odie to an attic room which reminds him of one-eyed Jack’s farmhouse attic. Its window sits over a stone patio, and there is a bed.

Aunt Julia asks Odie to only use the basement bathroom, as the ones on each floor are reserved for her other guests. Instead, Odie pees out his open window into the rain. He sleeps and wakes to the sound of a woman’s laughter. The still-open window has flooded the floor, so he goes out in search of a towel. He sees a man kissing a blond, scantily-dressed woman before leaving. The woman, Dolores, helps Odie find a towel. Aunt Julia seems irritated when she finds Odie out of his room. She helps him clean and apologizes for her shortness. Promising to explain everything tomorrow, she asks him to stay in the room for the rest of the night.