The People We Keep

As April drives north from Florida, she considers what the near future will be like. She currently lives in Bimini Bay in an abandoned house with a partially covered roof; she has been waiting tables and performing in hopes of saving enough for an apartment for her and Max. She hopes to one day bring Max on the road with her. April is making great progress when she stops and calls Margo, who tells her that her father has already passed. April initially says that she won’t continue the drive but then decides to do so, hoping that Margo can give her the support she desperately needs.

As April nears Little River and sees familiar sights, her anxiety manifests in intense nausea. She pulls over to vomit. When April arrives at Margo’s Diner, Margo is surprised to see that she is pregnant. Margo rushes April inside to feed her and catch her up. During their conversation, Margo stresses that her father didn’t tell anyone about the cancer and even refused treatment. She expresses her commitment to April and declares that with April’s father gone, she can now provide for April however she sees fit. Margo also reveals that she lied when April first left Little River: April’s father was never going to come looking for her. In fact, her father ended up in the hospital because Gary and his friends attacked him for not caring about April. Margo invites April to stay with her while she is in town, and before turning in for the night, Margo urges April to mourn the people her parents weren’t.

April wakes up alone in Margo’s apartment the next morning and sees a note listing the details for her father’s service. She takes the note and heads to the motorhome.

April arrives at the motorhome and notices that her neighbor’s house is now abandoned. The motorhome hasn’t changed much since she left; neither has the empty foundation that her father never got around to building on.

When April arrives at the church for her father’s funeral, she realizes that no one in the town other than Margo ever cared for her. She stays outside, and Mrs. Ivory, an old woman April used to serve at the diner, confuses her with her mother. There is a little girl with her that Mrs. Ivory insists is her grandchild. April agrees to drive them to Mrs. Ivory’s house but then realizes that the child is not Mrs. Ivory’s granddaughter. After she drops Mrs. Ivory off, April brings the girl back to the church and on the way learns that this girl is July, her half-sister. Irene is waiting at the church, and the two discuss the failings of April’s father. April tells Irene to take care of July and leaves town, not waiting to say goodbye to Margo.

April drives to Binghamton to tell Justin that Max is his son. When she arrives at Justin’s house, he rebukes her. He refuses to acknowledge Max as his, declares that he has a girlfriend, and accuses her of trying to steal his future. Any kindness he once showed her is gone, and the next day when she tries to speak with him, no one answers the door.

After the disappointment with Justin, April returns to Ithaca believing that everyone she knew there will be gone. However, while walking by what is no longer Cafe Decadence but Juna, April sees Carly working the counter. April waits for an opportune moment while Carly is away and then enters the café: She leaves all of the letters she has written for Carly over the past few years at the counter.

April returns to the campground and holds a personal funeral for her father. She contemplates her parents’ failings and commits to being better for her son. Before she leaves, she buries her father’s guitar pick and commits to moving on. As she walks to the car, her water breaks and she falls, hitting her head and losing consciousness.

Dazed from hitting her head, April thinks that she is dreaming about Carly coming to get her, picking her up, and driving her away.

April wakes in the hospital to Margo holding her hand. April learns that after she lost consciousness, Carly did in fact bring her to the hospital. Carly then called Margo, who immediately rushed to the hospital. April also learns that she has had a C-section and meets Max, whom she instantly falls in love with. Margo goes tells April that the room is filled with floral arrangements because she and Carly called everyone in April’s notebook and they all sent flowers.

April and Carly have their long-awaited reunion, and April realizes that her friendship with Carly is authentic. Carly forgives April for leaving and holds no ill will toward her. After reading the letters, she guessed that April would be at the campground if she was still in Ithaca. As they catch up, Carly reveals that Adam left Ithaca and is seeing someone; she credits April with “fix[ing] him a little” (346). Carly also shows April a tattoo that she got after April left. It is the design that Bodie drew for April. Carly tells her, “It’s a mayflower […] It’s the good stuff that comes after too many storms” (347).

April is surprised when Ethan visits her in the hospital. It turns out that he took her advice and moved to Ithaca. When he arrives, April is even more surprised to find that he and Carly know each other: Carly has been taking his order for months and the two are excited to now make a more substantial connection. The novel ends with April surrounded by her chosen family of Margo, Carly, and Ethan, who are all getting to know each other and sharing memories of April while she sits with Max. April contemplates one day introducing Max to Justin, but she decides to list Ethan as Max’s father on the birth certificate. She is confident in this group’s ability to provide for and support not only her but also Max.