An American Marriage: Part 3, Chapter 13 Summary & Analysis

Roy wakes up to Celestial being his “Georgia girl” again. They wish each other a merry Christmas and he thinks about how he doesn’t have a gift for her. She says that his being safe is gift enough. All he wants for Christmas is his tooth, so she goes to her dresser and takes out the box holding the tooth, asking if he remembers that night. She tells him he rose to the occasion and he says he liked saving her. She says the thief could have killed Roy, but Roy says there’s no use worrying about things that didn’t happen—or things that did happen, for that matter, because today is a new day.

They make breakfast together and Roy notices the ruby shining on Celestial’s right hand. Celestial answers the phone and wishes her parents happy holidays, though she tells Roy she isn’t ready to bring anyone else into their situation yet, so they won’t go over to their house for dinner. Roy tells Celestial how Christmas is his favorite holiday. As a child Big Roy would receive only an apple, and so, when Roy was young, every Christmas morning he and his father would share an apple together. Celestial asks why he never told her that, and Roy says he didn’t want her feeling sorry for him when that was one of his favorite memories.

Celestial makes Roy toast in the same way Olive used to do it, which Roy recognizes as a gesture toward making him feel at home. They share an apple together. She says, “Bon appétit,” and Roy feels like they might actually be able to make up. He thinks about Big Roy, all alone on this day. Roy asks why Celestial told Olive about Walter being his cellmate, since Big Roy said the news had killed Olive. Celestial claims it didn’t happen that way, that Olive was struggling because she thought the pain medication would kill her faster and she wanted to stay alive for Roy. She says that when she shared the news with Olive, she’d said God was funny for sending Othaniel to the rescue. Big Roy had seen Olive as giving up at the news, but Celestial believed Olive was able to let go knowing her son was taken care of.

While Celestial showers, Roy calls his father. He thinks Big Roy sounds sad, but his father says he just has some indigestion from eating a plate brought by one of the church ladies. Roy tells his father that it’s okay to like the woman, and Big Roy jokes that his son is trying to marry him off so he won’t have to return home to take care of him. Next, Roy phones Davina to wish her a merry Christmas. She asks him if what’s between them is something or nothing. Roy answers, “Something?” He tells her that he found out he’s still married, and she responds that she didn’t ask about that. He confirms that their relationship is something, but he can’t figure out what.

Celestial emerges from the bathroom in a negligée. She lies on the bed and calls Roy to her. He tells her he wants to be real with her, and he tells her that when he was home in Eloe he slept with a woman. Celestial says she’s not mad because she’s not a hypocrite. He asks how she couldn’t care, and she says she’s trying to be an adult. He tells her he called Davina a few minutes ago and that it wasn’t purely sexual. Davina had helped him figure out who he was post-prison. Celestial kisses his body but Roy tells her she doesn’t have to. Though she feels rigid under his hands, she offers herself, trying to make things right.

In prison, Olive had visited every weekend. Once she seemed different, probably aware of the cancer but not ready to tell Roy yet. She told him she knew the truth about his innocence, but wanted to hear from his own mouth that he didn’t do it. He feels deeply offended but tells her he’s not a rapist and that he doesn’t want to talk anymore. She tells him she believes him, but he thinks only about all the things he didn’t like about her in that moment.

Back in the bedroom, Celestial pulls Roy to her, telling him she wants him to be okay. He thinks about how he couldn’t prove his accuser wrong, and Celestial tells him not to worry about that because the wrongful accusation and its repercussions are over. Roy tells her nothing is ever over, and that he can feel her fear of him when he touches her. She says she’s scared to start over. He promises her he will never force himself on a woman, even if Celestial asked him to. He kisses her ring finger, absent of his ring, and she tells him she tried. He tells her to sleep, but neither can close their eyes against all that darkness.