I Can Make This Promise

On July 6, Amelia texts Edie to ask that she wait until they are together to read more of Edith’s letters. Edie feels conflicted but agrees. She takes the box down to her room to avoid making her parents more suspicious. At breakfast, Edie’s parents remind her that she will be getting braces the next day.

Edie tells her parents that Amelia dislikes her idea of making a film about Bruno. They are surprised, but Edie reminds them that they did not like the real Bruno either. Edie feels that they should have helped Bruno find a home and does not understand why her parents thought the animal might have been dangerous.

Edie returns to her room and looks at the box of letters. They indicate that Edith lived in Los Angeles, a place that Edie knows little about. She draws a landscape filled with palm trees, reflecting what she knows about California, but she feels that something is missing from the drawing. Serenity texts Edie, who says she wants to figure out Edith’s mystery without her parents.

On July 7, Edie goes to the orthodontist to get braces. She used to be excited about it, but now she worries that the braces will close the gap between her front teeth. Edith has the same gap in the photographs. Edie asks the orthodontist if her braces are purely cosmetic, but she learns that they are actually necessary to fix her overbite.

Serenity comes over to Edie’s house; Amelia is late. While they wait for her, Serenity and Edie discuss whether Edie should talk to her parents. Serenity says, “Parents can be weird” (78), but she acknowledges that they probably mean well. She compares Edie’s situation to her own parents’ divorce; they initially kept their separation a secret in an attempt to protect her. Amelia finally arrives, but she is still acting strange. Her coldness hurts Edie, but the three girls take another look at the box together.

Amelia thinks that they should aim to find Edith’s full name and other concrete information about her. They learn that in 1973, Edith traveled from Indianola, Washington, to Los Angeles to start an acting career. They find her full name on a medical document in the box: Edith Anne Graham. Amelia looks her up to see if she became a famous actress, but there are no results. She hurts Edie by saying, “It doesn’t look like she was anyone important” (86). In letters to her brother, Theo, Edith explains what an inspiration the activist Sacheen Littlefeather is for her and mentions her brother’s activism efforts at the Wounded Knee Occupation.

Amelia suggests that they make a short film about Edith’s life. Edie feels uncomfortable with this suggestion, but she agrees to think about it.

On July 9, Edie attends a birthday party for her mother’s brother, whom she calls Uncle Phil. Edie’s new braces are hurting, making it difficult for her to eat. She gets frustrated during a dinner conversation about her braces and lashes out at her parents. Edie leaves the room to sit on the porch. Her uncle comes to sit with her, asking what is wrong, and Edie tells him what she learned about Edith Graham. Her uncle is sympathetic, but he says that he cannot be the one to tell her more.