Turtle in Paradise

While Mr. Edgit talks about his hometown in Pennsylvania, Turtle recalls Sadiebelle talking about her hometown, Key West, which she described as “paradise”; Turtle remains skeptical. Hours later, when they arrive in Key West, Turtle finds that the houses are worn down, but she is impressed by the abundant plant life.

With some difficulty, Mr. Edgit locates the small house that belongs to Turtle’s Aunt Minnie. A boy named Beans, who is about Turtle’s age, sits on the porch with his dog, Termite. When he learns that Mr. Edgit sells hair tonic, Beans teases him for going bald; he also intentionally mispronounces Mr. Edgit’s name as “Idjit,” meaning “idiot.”

When Minnie comes to the door, she instantly recognizes Turtle as Sadiebelle’s daughter. She is surprised to see her, since she did not receive Sadiebelle’s letter explaining the situation. She is also a little frustrated to have one more person to care for, in addition to her three sons.

Minnie assigns Beans to help Turtle move her belongings inside. After Beans and Turtle argue and make fun of each other’s names, Beans turns Turtle’s bag upside down, dumping her belongings on the porch.

As she enters Aunt Minnie’s small house, Turtle thinks jealously of Little Orphan Annie, who was adopted by a millionaire. Turtle moves her things into Beans’s small upstairs room. On her way, she meets Beans’s younger brothers, Kermit, who is nine or 10 years old, and Buddy, who is four.

When Aunt Minnie informs her sons that the three of them will have to share a room during Turtle’s stay, and that Termite will have to stay outside while Smokey is inside, they argue with her. She sends all the children and animals outside, even Kermit, who is supposed to nap each day and avoid physical exertion to aid his recovery from rheumatic fever. As they sit on the porch, Beans’s friend, a boy named Pork Chop, appears.

Jelly, an elderly neighbor from across the street, stops by to deliver Sadiebelle’s letter to Aunt Minnie, which was mistakenly delivered to him. Jelly refers to the boys as the Diaper Gang. When Turtle asks about the Diaper Gang, Beans, Pork Chop, and Kermit explain that they run a business taking care of babies, including changing diapers and treating diaper rash with a carefully guarded secret formula. As a girl, Turtle is not allowed to join the Diaper Gang.

The next morning, Aunt Minnie gives Turtle avocado toast for breakfast. Turtle doesn’t like the way it looks, but she finds it tasty. As Turtle eats, Aunt Minnie questions her about Sadiebelle and Archie’s relationship and Aunt Minnie states that Sadiebelle was always a bit foolish. As Turtle gets a glass of milk, she encounters a scorpion, which Aunt Minnie squashes with a rolling pin. Turtle also argues with Beans and Kermit over the correct name for avocados, which they refer to as alligator pears. Pork Chop arrives and the Diaper Gang prepares to set out, when Aunt Minnie instructs them to take Buddy and Turtle with them so that she can work in peace running her laundry business.

After loading a wagon with blankets, the children pick up a baby named Pudding from Mrs. Lowe, who is relieved to see them. Pudding stops crying when they wrap him tightly in a blanket. As they walk, the children pass an elderly woman chasing her husband, who has dementia. They also pass an ice delivery man, who gives them samples. Turtle is surprised that both people know who she is, and Pork Chop explains that news passes quickly through the town, a process he calls “Conch Telegraph.”

They reach the waterfront, where workers are busy selling and unloading fish. Turtle looks at a group of sea turtles kept in captivity, and Beans introduces her to a sailor named Slow Poke, who harvests sea sponges. Slow Poke instantly recognizes Turtle as a relative of Sadiebelle.

Back at Aunt Minnie’s home the next day, Turtle feels bored and wishes for an adventure like those she reads about in newspaper comic strips. As Aunt Minnie scolds Buddy for misplacing his pants, Kermit invites Turtle to accompany the Diaper Gang during their daily tasks. Beans and Pork Chop agree to let her come if she does not change any diapers, which means that she can’t earn any candy, the Diaper Gang’s preferred form of payment.

As the Diaper Gang picks up and cares for three babies, including Pudding, they pass several boys who offer to help them, but Beans does not accept. As she talks with Kermit, Turtle learns that Aunt Minnie’s husband is working on a highway on a nearby island and that he visits home every few weeks. Turtle recalls that Archie gave her $5 before she left and promised that things would work out.

Kermit changes Pudding’s diaper and applies a white powder, the secret formula. A boy known as Too Bad appears and asks to join the Diaper Gang, even though he has failed to qualify in the past. Pork Chop and Beans give him a chance to change a baby’s diaper. As he does so, Too Bad forgets the Diaper Gang’s third rule: “always duck.” As a result, the baby urinates on Too Bad and he leaves, disappointed.

After returning home, the members of the Diaper Gang eat the candy they earned for their day’s work. Kermit begins to share his with Turtle, but Beans stops him. When an ice cream salesperson passes by, Beans tries to buy ice cream on credit, but the salesperson refuses. Turtle tricks the salesperson into giving her ice cream for free, and when Beans asks for some, she says that she’s not allowed to share since she’s not a member of the Diaper Gang.

About two weeks after her arrival in Key West, Turtle sits on the porch and shows Buddy some paper dolls she inherited from her mother. When Aunt Minnie comes to the door and sees the dolls, she lets out a shriek of surprise and says that the dolls belong to her and that Sadiebelle stole them. Turtle offers the dolls to Aunt Minnie, and she takes them back inside with her.

The next day, Turtle watches the boys play tag while she reflects on her relationship with her mother. Sadiebelle never told Turtle who her father is; she only said that he was a fisher. When Sadiebelle became pregnant with Turtle, she waited a week for the man to propose. When he failed to do so, Sadiebelle left Key West, and she never returned. Aunt Minnie appears and scolds Kermit for running, against the doctor’s orders. Aunt Minnie takes Buddy to the outhouse, and Kermit invites Turtle to visit Duval Street with him. He runs there, despite his mother’s warning.

Duval Street is a commercial area designed to appeal to tourists. When Turtle asks Kermit where she might find a job, he recommends she talk to Johnny Cakes, who illegally imports rum from the Bahamas. They find Johnny at a nearby café with a friend who is a writer, later revealed to be Ernest Hemingway. As Johnny turns down Turtle’s request for a job, Slow Poke appears and gives an envelope to Johnny. When Slow Poke mentions that he is going sponge diving the next day on his ship The Lost Love, Turtle offers to work for him, and he accepts. Before she leaves the café, Turtle tells Hemingway that he should write for the funny pages if he wants to become famous.