Patina Chapter 6
Summary
TLDRIn this heartfelt narrative, the protagonist, Patty, navigates the complexities of family life after her father's passing and her mother's health decline. Amidst the challenges, she finds solace in helping her sister Maddie with homework and embarks on a school project about Frida Kahlo. Patty's journey is interwoven with her commitment to track and field, her uncle's lighthearted support, and the enduring bond of family, culminating in a poignant depiction of resilience and love.
Takeaways
- 🏠 The protagonist lives with her mother, sister Maddie, and Uncle Tony, who is a supportive and humorous figure in their lives.
- 📚 The protagonist is involved in school activities, including a project on Frida Kahlo and track practice, where she recently placed second in a meet.
- 👩👧 The protagonist feels a strong sense of responsibility towards her younger sister Maddie, often helping with homework and providing emotional support.
- 🍗 The family has a routine of eating turkey wings for dinner every night, a dish that holds significance for the family after the loss of the protagonist's father.
- 🏃♀️ The protagonist is dedicated to her track practice and is motivated to improve her running speed, with encouragement from Uncle Tony.
- 🎨 Frida Kahlo is a central figure in the protagonist's school project, and she finds a personal connection with the artist's life experiences.
- 😔 The protagonist's mother has health issues, including diabetes, which has affected her mobility and emotional state, causing the family to adapt to these changes.
- 💔 The family has experienced significant loss, with the death of the protagonist's father and the mother's deteriorating health, impacting their daily life and emotional well-being.
- 👧 Maddie, the protagonist's sister, is confused about the mother's health condition, and the protagonist tries to protect her by simplifying the explanation of their mother's illness.
- 📝 Maddie writes a letter to her mother's 'lost legs', expressing her longing and confusion, which deeply affects the protagonist and highlights the family's struggle with the mother's health.
- 🤔 The protagonist grapples with the pressure of fulfilling a pinky promise to Maddie about her own legs not 'running away', symbolizing the fear of losing control over her life and health.
Q & A
What is the main character's routine after coming home from practice?
-The main character, Patty, usually comes home to her mother turning down the radio news and asking about her practice. She always says it was fine and tries not to show that she's tired, so her sister Maddie doesn't worry about her helping with homework.
How does Patty's mother cope with the loss of her husband?
-Patty's mother copes with her husband's death by becoming 'churchy,' which involves catching the spirit, dancing in the aisles, and praying for peace. She also starts eating a lot, particularly sweets that were her husband's favorites.
What health condition does Patty's mother develop after her husband's death?
-Patty's mother develops diabetes, which eventually leads to the loss of her legs and most of her laughter.
Why does Patty feel the need to be strong and brave?
-Patty feels the need to be strong and brave because she has to look out for her younger sister Maddie, who is confused about their mother's health condition, and she also has to deal with her own feelings of loss and grief.
What is the significance of the pinky promise Patty makes with Maddie?
-The pinky promise is significant because it symbolizes a serious commitment in their family. Maddie asks Patty to pinky promise that her legs won't run away, and Patty agrees, feeling the weight of the promise.
What is the main character's school project about?
-The main character's school project is about Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist known for her self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.
Why does Patty feel a connection to Frida Kahlo?
-Patty feels a connection to Frida Kahlo because Frida was close to her father, and Patty can relate to the feeling of something breaking inside, as she has experienced the loss of her father and seen her mother's emotional paralysis.
What is the significance of the letter that Maddie wants to write?
-The letter Maddie wants to write is significant because it represents her confusion and longing for her mother's lost mobility. She wants to address the letter to her mother's legs, asking them where they went and why they had to leave.
How does Patty's family dynamic change after moving in with Uncle Tony?
-After moving in with Uncle Tony, Patty's family dynamic changes as they become closer and rely on each other more. Uncle Tony brings humor and lightness to the family, helping them cope with their grief and challenges.
What is the role of Uncle Tony in Patty's life?
-Uncle Tony plays a significant role in Patty's life as a supportive figure who brings joy and humor. He is also a source of comfort and understanding, especially when Patty is dealing with her emotions about her family's situation.
What is the significance of the turkey wings in the family's dinner routine?
-The turkey wings are significant in the family's dinner routine because they represent a constant in Patty's life. Her mother makes them every night, and they become a symbol of stability and familiarity amidst the changes the family is going through.
Outlines
🏠 Family Dynamics and School Life
The narrator discusses their daily routine after school, which includes a car ride home with their mother and sister, Maddie. The narrator tries to hide their fatigue to help with Maddie's homework and household chores. They also mention their school project on Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, and their personal connection to her story of resilience. The family dynamic is highlighted by the presence of Uncle Tony, who brings humor and comfort to the family after the loss of the narrator's father. The narrator's mother copes with her grief by indulging in sweets, which eventually leads to health issues including diabetes.
💌 Maddie's Letter and the Promise
The narrator recounts a poignant moment when Maddie asks for help writing a letter to their mother's 'lost legs' due to diabetes complications. The letter expresses longing and confusion about the mother's health condition. The narrator struggles with the request, feeling the weight of Maddie's innocence and their own inability to provide a concrete answer about the permanence of their mother's condition. The emotional intensity of the situation is relieved by a pinky promise, a significant gesture of commitment in their family.
🏃♀️ The Impact of Track and Field
The narrator is encouraged by a friend, Lou, to join a track club, which becomes a turning point in their life. Despite the initial reluctance due to a recent loss in a relay race, the narrator finds solace and motivation in the sport. The family dinner conversation reveals the mother's occupation as a caretaker, with a focus on an Alzheimer's patient who struggles with memory loss. The dinner conversation also lightens up with Uncle Tony's humorous attempt to demonstrate a running technique, bringing laughter and relief to the family.
👨👧👦 Family Support and Uncle Tony's Advice
The final paragraph delves into the support system within the family, particularly from Uncle Tony, who tries to lighten the mood after the narrator's disappointing race. He offers advice on improving running technique through a humorous demonstration, which brings joy to the family. The narrator also discusses their school project on Frida Kahlo with their mother, who shows interest but admits to not knowing much about the artist. The family's resilience and humor in the face of adversity are evident, as they navigate through their daily lives with love and support.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Patina
💡Family Responsibilities
💡Track Practice
💡Frida Kahlo
💡Diabetes
💡Pinky Promise
💡Uncle Tony
💡Mommy
💡Homework
💡Cooking
Highlights
The protagonist's routine involves a ride home with their mother, where they discuss the day and homework.
The protagonist hides their tiredness to avoid worrying their sister, Maddie, and to help with her homework.
Maddie's homework is already done, and the protagonist has some of their own to complete.
The protagonist is researching Frida Kahlo for a school project, learning about her life and struggles.
Uncle Tony's comforting presence is highlighted, as he provides support and humor to the family.
The family dynamic is explored, showing the close bond between the protagonist and Uncle Tony.
The protagonist's father's passing and its impact on the family, especially the mother's emotional state, is discussed.
The mother's coping mechanism of baking and eating sweets, which leads to health issues, is revealed.
The protagonist's struggle to balance their own needs with the responsibility of caring for their sister, Maddie.
Maddie's confusion about their mother's health condition and the protagonist's attempt to explain it to her.
A poignant moment where Maddie writes a letter to her mother's 'lost legs', expressing her feelings.
The protagonist's promise to Maddie to never let her down, symbolized by a pinky promise.
The protagonist's introduction to track and field as a way to cope with personal struggles and to honor their family.
The family's daily dinner routine of eating turkey wings, a tradition started by the mother.
The mother's work as a caretaker and her dedication to her patients, including a sweet old man with Alzheimer's.
Uncle Tony's attempt to lighten the mood by discussing the protagonist's track practice and their recent race.
The protagonist's reflection on their performance in a recent track meet and Uncle Tony's support.
The family's shared laughter over Uncle Tony's comedic running demonstration.
Transcripts
hi guys and welcome to patina chapter
six
to do eat turkey wings for the millionth
day in a row the ride home always goes
like this
mommy turns the radio news down then
asks how practice was i tell her it was
fine
she asked if i'm tired and even if i am
i tell her i'm not
just because i don't want maddie to hear
that i'm tired and think i won't be able
to help her with stuff like her homework
which every day when i ask her about it
she tells mom we already helped her
and before i can even say anything mommy
just says
didn't want you to have to worry about
it which i just not had
then i tell mommy i'll help her to make
dinner as soon as my homework's done
and she says i've already started
cooking and by then
maddie already started kicking the back
of my seat the rest of the ride home
which drives me crazy but also in some
weird way
kind of relaxes me like a massage and a
massage like a massage
and a message i'm here patty and i'm
fine
and today was no different i was tired
acted like i wasn't
maddie's homework was done and i had a
little left
of mine to do before dinner nothing too
major i knocked out my math assignment
english homework was to think about
canons which basically meant english
homework was to think about history
homework
which was going to be reading up more on
frida kahlo so i could be ready to add
some new information to our project
not like anyone else is going to i
figured tnt and becca were probably at
home
i don't know tanning or something it
wouldn't have surprised me if they had
one of those skin quicker things in
their houses
those beds you lay on that come down
over the top of you and roast you
and you come out looking like a
rotisserie chicken meanwhile
i was researching things i learned about
frida
so far she was from mexico she was
diagnosed with polio
when she was six which made her right
leg skinnier than her left
when she was 18 she got into a bus
accident that broke her spine
crushed her right leg and foot and made
it impossible for her to have babies
doctors said she would never walk again
patty
um patty a squeaky voice way too silly
to be real
came from the other side of the bedroom
door uncle tony
he dropped the daffy duck dinner's
almost ready you almost done with your
homework
my uncle's voice when he's speaking like
a regular human being
is deep but not in a scary way he has
one of those voices that you wish you
could touch wrap yourself up in like a
blanket
a voice like a dad and i guess like an
uncle
and a favorite uncle me and uncle tony
had been closed forever
he's one of those big kid grown-ups a
goof troop all jokes all the time
and when i was younger he was one of the
only people who could make my mom laugh
like a laugh that seemed to come up from
her feet
we lost my father and up from her belly
after she lost her feet
as a matter of fact he was one of the
only people who could make any of us
laugh back then i'm almost done i said
bookmarking the website i'll be browsing
tell mommy i'll be right out to help i
jotted one last note
something i'd read that i didn't think
that was that important
to the project but maybe
frida was close to her father and that
more than anything
was what me and freda had in common only
difference is
frida's dad didn't die when she was
young so she didn't know what he was
like
she didn't know what it felt like to be
broken until she was older
and i don't not only did i know the
feeling of something breaking inside me
i also had to watch my mom go through it
and basically get paralyzed in a whole
different way
in her brain and in her heart matter of
fact after dad passed
that's when ma got all churchy churchy
beginning of catching the spirit and
dancing in the aisles and
praying for peace in the eye of the
storm but she had no idea the storm was
just getting started
because that's also when she started
eating like
a lot and not just regular food but
sweets
all my dad's favorite recipes sweet
potato cheesecake and peanut butter
brownies and white chocolate cookies and
of course
a delicious yellow cupcake with
strawberry icing
your daddy used to say this thing was so
good
they'd make you slap your mama ma would
say nibbling the top of the cupcakes
so you better not have too many of them
we'd do a like
and then she'd have too many of them i
guess maybe the sweets were a way of
staying kind of connected to my dad
dessert for the deserted and i'm not
going to pretend
it wasn't amazing living in a house that
always smelled like
cooked sugar which smelled like him and
heaven
it was great but eventually it wasn't
because diabetes
came and took ma's legs took most of
what was left of her laugh too
and that's when the actual storm reached
maximum storminess
and i was pretty messed up by the whole
thing but doing my best to be strong and
brave and big
and all the other things i ain't really
feel like being at that time
i'd rather be sneaking lipstick on in
the bathroom sending cotton selfies of
how fly i looked
then washing it all off so my mother
wouldn't see it
or sitting on the curb at cotton's
painting our nails with nail polish i
wasn't allowed to wear
that her big brother skunk would steal
from the beauty store
even though i would have to scrub mine
clean before i came back home unless it
was clear polish but then
what's the point or trying to convince
my mother to let me use cucumber mango
or berry rose water or
kiwi coconut or any other fruity flowery
good smelling lotion
on her swollen cracked up legs flipping
through magazines cringing at kitten
heels even though those were the only
ones i have
ever had a shot of wearing in bev
jones's house
that's what i used to do what i wanted
to be doing but i couldn't do
none of those things no more at least
not like i wanted to
because now i had to look out for maddie
who was just
confused i think she had turned four too
young to really understand what was
going on with ma's health
and it was really hard to explain it all
to her
so i told maddie and ma's legs had to go
go away
looking back on it maybe it wasn't the
best idea but at the time it was all i
had
and it seemed to help and that's when
that crazy thing i was talking about
earlier
the crazy moment with maddie happened
she asked me to help her write a letter
she said it was for school
of course i grabbed a pencil and a sheet
of paper from her backpack
that maddie in the little chair at her
desk leaned over and asked what she
wanted the letter to say
she wanted to say this dear mommy's legs
i remember my hand instantly started
shaking and i was squeezing the pencil
tight enough to snap it in half
but i kept writing what maddie told me
to write where did you go
and why did you have to leave and what
are you doing are you having fun with us
are you jumping are you dancing are you
running fast please come back we miss
you
love madison jones i dropped the pencil
maddie what what are you gonna do with
this
i tried to clear the shake from my voice
and it took my flexing
every muscle in my body even cracked my
toes
just to try to keep the tears inside my
face thank goodness her back was to me
first i'm gonna bring it to school for
show and tell oh
okay um and then what well after i show
it to the class i was gonna see if maybe
you could send it
send it to the legs maddy threw her head
back her big eyes staring up at me
hold it in patty hold it in um yeah
yes i i will um send it
i kissed her forehead your legs ain't
gonna run away too are they
she asked worry suddenly washing across
her face
no maddie i slapped my legs they ain't
going nowhere
how do you know she asked i didn't have
a good answer to that
and instead toothed my bottom lip to
keep from quivering
i just i just do i eked out barely
i'll prove it how she asked how are you
going to prove it
well i don't know but i'll figure it out
don't say it patty don't say it
i promise i said it
and instantly felt like i messed up like
i said something wrong
i wished i had an invisible cupcake to
stuff in my mouth
something some stupid pretend tea
anything i mean
how was i gonna prove my legs weren't
gonna run away from me
would this be one of those things i was
gonna have to hope maddie just forgot
about
but the pressure of it all was worth it
because the worry on maddie's face
unwound she nodded then hit me with a
gut punchiest of all gut punches
pinky promise oh no
pinky promises for us ain't no joke
they're like contracts
break your pinky promise and people will
make you feel like you're in jail or
something
friendship jail or in this case big
sister jail
maddie held her pinky out looked mine
onto hers hooked mine onto hers
touched thumbs now she knew there was no
way i would let her down
then she got back to business she tapped
the letter
so you know where to send this she
followed
blow after blow after blow killing me
waffle
but this one i couldn't answer at all i
just couldn't
so i just left ran to my room throwing
myself on the bed curled into a ball
breathe patty breathe
crazy thing was the next day at school
we were having a field day and i was
paired up on a relay race team with lou
i know i said i never ran one but this
wasn't like a real relay this was more
just like slapping each other's hands
and running as fast as we could
and after our race it was lou who told
me about his track club
he was in at the time sparks that night
i went home
and asked uncle tony and momly and all
the dots connected
my first club team the rest as they say
is history
or present all i know is that it just
seemed like something somewhere
um legs don't got souls right was
telling me to
do it push me to do it not just for me
but for dad and for ma and for maddie
who
bonus i said thankfully had to answer
for
pinky promise and all turkey wings
mommy made turkey wings every single
night every single
night so it's always funny because when
uncle tony says things like
dinner's almost ready i never have to
ask what we're having
i know what we're having turkey wings
with rice and a veggie
usually broccoli not even turkey breast
or a turkey leg or even a turkey
sandwich
wings only i had never had them before
we came to live with them
and the first night mommy cooked them i
told her i liked them and that was it
it was set in stone turkey wings for
life
mommy kept the kitchen just like she
kept the car clean
germ free scrubbed from top to bottom
with something
sudsy and bright colored like sun yellow
that smelled like rotten lemon
or mutant green that smelled like it
every flower
and the world sneezed i pulled up to the
table
maddie was peeling fat off the meat
cauliflower
cauliflower tonight white broccoli
but not nearly as white as the spotless
dinner plates after i told momly what i
had to
i had to tell her every night which was
that i was sorry for not finishing my
homework and time to help her
we kicked off the dinner small talk and
went and
she kicked off the dinner small talk
with telling us about her favorite
patient
see she got her own business but it
don't make her about
money where she takes care of sick
people emily's expert care
which i think is a terrible name by the
way ain't got no warmth to it
no hug in it i think it should be called
something like
an emily's arms or mobile mom something
that something like that
maddie thinks it should be called momly
to the rescue and well
even though i don't like that name
either it would be at least a true
statement
at least for ma because when me and ma
went to go live with mommy and uncle
tony
it just made sense for mommy to add ma
to her client list
along with the most talked about of them
all mr warren
who momly calls the sweetest old man
alive but i don't really know
if my mother is the sweetest old lady
alive
and mom wasn't really happy about none
of it at first
just because she don't really like
nobody taking care of her
but at least it's family and not some
stranger
even though she can definitely uh be a
lot to deal with
actually now they think about it maybe a
stranger would have been better i bet
during those first few visits
matt almost drove momly to jesus too or
off a cliff
well my favorite patient besides your
mother mommy clarified about mr warren
was an old man who had alzheimer's which
basically just means you can't remember
too much
no more she said sometimes random stuff
popped into his head
but usually he doesn't know where he is
even though he's in his own house
so she just stays in bed for now and
mommy goes over there and feeds him
and makes sure he's all cleaned up while
his daughter runs around taking care of
errands and stuff
molly's been looking out for him for a
long time
i went to use the bathroom and when i
got back to the room he was up out of
bed
tearing the room apart looking for
something he was yanking clothes out of
the closet and snatching pictures off
the wall
so i asked him what he was looking for
and he said something to buff the floor
with
buff the floor uncle tony asked i was
just as confused
that's what he said when i told him the
floor didn't need buffing he explained
that he had
mouths to feed and who was going to take
care of the family
mommy laid the napkin in her lap all
proper like she was eating in front of
folks she ain't know
eventually i got to calm him down
brought him back to bed where he seemed
to just melt back into himself
and i put everything back in the closet
and hung the pictures back in the wall
she shook her head just one of those
days poor guy
mommy took a breath then turned to me
speaking of pictures on the wall patty
how's the whole friday thing going mommy
now pushed her
fork through one of the tiny trees tired
to sit in her cheeks make her face look
saggy
it wouldn't have surprised me if she
fell asleep right there at the table
it's frida right i nodded i'd asked her
if she knew about frida when she
first got the assignment but she said
she didn't she said she had seen her in
pictures
but that was pretty much it it's going
okay i told her
she seemed like a cool lady but not as
cool as you uncle tony said
wiggling his eyebrows i wasn't sure if
momly was done small-talking me about
the school project
but if she wasn't uncle tony definitely
ended any chance of it continuing
because he awkwardly made a hard left
into a totally different conversation uh
how was practice
frida de track frida to track practice
worst transition of all time this is why
mom leaves the small talk queen and
uncle tony's the cartoon character
but i knew uncle tony wasn't trying to
be rude he
and that's his jumpiness was all about
my second place loss at the meet on
saturday
which by the way wasn't at he wasn't at
had an emergency at the office he does
something called
information technology which is it for
short or
it even shorter which is what he says
which just means he works with computers
and apparently
sometimes computers have emergencies
anyway all this weird dinnertime chat
was his way of knocking on the door of
my brain like
hey is it okay to come in
and if it wasn't for practice today
maybe i'd still be mad
i told him momly and maddie about i told
him and momly and maddie about being
chosen
by the four by 800 relay team and doing
the waltz
the waltz like the ball gown pinky and
the air dance
pinky in the air was tony's way of
saying fancy
yep it was to teach us something about
being in tune with each other
like knowing each other so well that we
don't have to think about the handoff
maddie sweetheart eat your cauliflower
mommy's exhausted boy slid between me
and uncle tony's
maddie groaned eat your cauliflower i
repeated
it'll make you strong uncle tony
following my lead curled his arms up
making
muscles jump maddie smiled well if doing
the waltz is all it takes
then let me show you how to run even
faster uncle tony said
and as soon as he said it he braced
himself
thinking he would cat thinking i would
catch feelings
and if i thought he was saying i don't
run fast enough
and judging by saturday i don't not fast
enough
but it was cool uncle tony i'm not mad
no more
i told him getting straight to the point
so he could stop acting weird
his shoulders dropped rolled back as if
he just unbuttoned
a button of his pants after a big meal
oh thank god
he exhaled the words and i smirked and
tapped my fork on maddy's plate
she stabbed a piece of cauliflower
lifted it to her mouth uncle tony
continued
so yeah if you want to run faster try
this
he scooted out from the table mommy
already frowning at whatever he was
doing and then
it came the strangest thing i've seen
uncle tony do
maybe ever the running man and
offbeat and
all over the place maddie bursted out
laughing
white mush in her mouth and i was right
behind her my laughter scrubbing away
the last 10 of sad in me uncle tony
lurked forward
pumping his legs panting
and i kept snickering my uncle a
straight up clown
alright guys good luck on your quiz and
i'll see you for chapter seven
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