Salvage the Bones

The chapter opens with Esch walking to her Mother Lizbeth’s and Papa Joseph’s house. When her grandparents were alive, they lived on the same land as them. “The house is a drying animal skeleton”, because “now [they] pick at the house like mostly eaten leftovers” (58). Esch finds Skeetah pulling up linoleum from the house. He wants to cover the floor in the shed for the puppies because he believes they are contracting parvovirus from the dirt floor. Skeet also asks her for her help. The only instructions he gives are that she has to run, and that they’re going to the woods.

Their father arrives and Esch sneaks the linoleum out of the window so he won’t see. Their father asks them for help and even though Skeet tries to evade him, his father won’t let him go. He wants a few boards from the ceiling and makes Skeet use Esch like a stepstool to get them. Even though Skeet tries to refuse because he knows it will hurt Esch, his father won’t let up. Skeet tries to reassure Esch that he will be as quick as he can, and despite her feigned strength, she lets out a few sounds of pain. Skeetah throws the boards down, almost hitting his father on purpose, and Esch “[knows] it’s for [her]” (64).

Skeet’s errand involves visiting the “white people’s” house. He changes into darker clothing and asks Esch to do the same so she can be camouflaged. Skeet is going to try and steal cow wormer because he can’t lose anymore dogs and has asked Esch to be a lookout for him.

Running up the drive of the house, Esch is reminded of the long bus rides that would bring them to “white Bois” where the poverty was still noticeable. “I wonder if they have their own Skeetahs and Esches crawling around the edges of their fields, like ants under the floorboards marching in line towards sugar left open in the cabinet” (71). As they approach the house they see someone near the trees coming from the direction of the Pit. Randall, Junior and Big Henry have followed them.

Esch thinks that they can help, and despite Skeet’s protest, walks towards them. Esch explains what they’re doing there and Randall protests. Skeet tries to convince Randall that it’s a good idea—he can make $800 from selling the puppies, which means Randall could sign up for basketball camp, among other things. Randall agrees.

Skeetah plans out their scouting and advises them that as soon as they see him exit the window to run and don’t look back. Esch watches as Skeet breaks the window to get in the barn. Esch has a strong and sudden urge to urinate and has to choose between showing her bare rear end to Randall and Junior, or abandoning her lookout position. She hears Randall whistle and sees a truck pull into the driveway. She whistles continuously, hears Randall call her name and sees Skeet’s arm come out of the window. There is a dog in the back of the pickup truck and it begins to bark loudly. The man in the truck is yelling at them as they run away. They hear rifle shots and the man yells for “Twist”, the dog, to chase after them.

They reach their backyard and the dog has followed. Fortunately, China defends her territory: “Twist’s growl meets with hers but already he is turning, rolling to a ball, screaming…[and it] turns to a squeal…She’s going to kill him” (81). Esch tells Skeetah to stop the fight; otherwise Twist’s owner will follow him to them. Sketch grabs China’s leg, yells at her to “Hold!” and she releases Twist.