Monday's Not Coming

Claudia thinks about the colors representing her father and Michael. Daddy is luscious forest green: wise and calm. Michael is bark brown, the color of earth: supportive and strong. Together, she sees them as the tree she can lean on when weary: “The tree of life when surrounded by death” (337).

Ma was furious when Claudia finally came home after being trapped under Monday’s bed. Daddy was out looking for Claudia. Claudia reflected on the difference; she couldn’t go missing for two hours without her family and congregation looking for her, while no one seemed concerned that Monday had been missing for months. 

Claudia was disheveled, bleeding, and limping from the fall. She confronted her mother about the last time she saw Monday and the fact that Monday never had the flu. Ma knew Monday didn’t have the flu, but it happened right when Ma lost a baby. Ma finally agreed that something bad had happened to Monday.

Ma dressed Claudia’s wounds and iced her knee. Claudia used the key from her journal to unlock Monday’s, jealously noting that the journal was nearly filled. On the first page, Monday had vented about Claudia being unable to read or write, saying maybe she would be better off in “the stupid kids’ class” (343).