Another Country: Book 1, Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

The morning after Rufus’s suicide, Cass sits in her living room as rain comes down outside. The telephone rings and Cass picks it up to find Ida on the other end. Ida reintroduces herself to Cass—they have only met once before—and asks if she has seen Rufus. Cass remembers meeting Ida and thinking she was strikingly beautiful. The alarm in Ida’s voice worries Cass, but she tries to act reassuring because she saw Rufus the night before. When Ida hears this news, she breathes a sigh of relief, though she is annoyed that her brother did not reach out to her.

Cass tells Ida that she does not know where Rufus ended up after she left him at the bar. However, she knows Vivaldo was with him and will be coming to her house later in the afternoon. As such, she invites Ida to come over as well so she can talk to Vivaldo. Ida thanks Cass and says she will come over later.

After hanging up the phone, Cass goes to check on her children, Paul and Michael, because she hears them fighting. She finds the boys arguing over a broken chess set, so she breaks them up and starts them on their morning routines. Paul asks if he can wake up Richard because he wants to have breakfast with his father—something that has not happened lately. Cass tells Paul to leave his father alone; they were out late, and Richard needs his sleep.

After getting the kids ready, Cass phones Vivaldo’s apartment, but he does not answer. Cass suspects he spent the night with Jane, but she does not have Jane’s phone number to confirm her suspicion. Moments later, Richard stumbles out of bed and joins Cass in the kitchen. Cass tells Richard that Ida called and explains that she invited Ida over to speak with Vivaldo. Richard does not mind that Ida will be joining him, though he has little sympathy for Rufus. He suggests that Rufus is missing because he “found some other defenseless little girl to beat up.”

After his conversation with Cass, Richard walks Paul and Michael to the movies—something he had promised to do. As Richard and the children walk out into the rain, Cass thinks about her 12 years of marriage. They married 12 years ago, in the middle of World War II. The army shipped Richard off to North Africa where he served in a quartermaster depot.

A few minutes later, Richard returns as Cass begins making dinner. While she cooks, Vivaldo shows up soaking wet and with wild hair. Cass invites Vivaldo inside and hands him a drink. Vivaldo admits that he got quite drunk and spent the previous night with Jane; he still hasn’t fully sobered up. Cass asks Vivaldo if he knows what happened to Rufus. Vivaldo explains that Rufus said he was going to the bathroom and then disappeared. 

Cass switches the topic to Jane. She says she does not know what Jane and Vivaldo see in each other. Vivaldo explains that he simply needed a woman for the night. Cass suspects that “need” is the wrong word, and that Vivaldo is harming himself more than he is helping himself when it comes to Jane. Cass encourages Vivaldo to straighten himself out and finds someone he loves rather than using sex as a coping mechanism.

Richard enters the room, greets Vivaldo, and hands him the manuscript for his novel. He tells Vivaldo to temper his expectations—to Richard it is a good book, not a great one. Cass suggests that Richard is being modest and asserts that the novel is strong work. Vivaldo says he will read the manuscript as soon as he sobers up and promises to tell Richard truthfully what he thinks about it.

At 4:00 p.m., Ida arrives, and Cass lets her in. Cass offers Ida a drink and mindfully warns her that Vivaldo is unsure of Rufus’s location. This news is alarming to Ida, who immediately starts worrying about her brother again. Cass leads Ida to the living room and introduces her to Richard. There, Ida questions the three of them about Rufus, trying to figure out where he could be. Everyone tries to reassure Ida that Rufus is okay and was in a good headspace when they last saw him. However, they are not entirely convincing, and Ida continues to worry.

Ida asks Vivaldo why he did not call her immediately after Rufus showed up at his apartment. Vivaldo explains that it was already late at night, and he did not want to wake her. Richard asks if Ida has talked to the police. Ida responds that she has but does not think they will devote any resources to finding Rufus because he is a Black man. Richard balks at the notion that the police would discriminate based on race, but Ida assures him that they do.

Vivaldo asks Ida if there is anything he can do to help her; he loves Rufus too and wants to help find him. Ida appreciates the sentiment but is unsure whether there is anything Vivaldo can do. Vivaldo says he will walk around town with Ida and help her look. Ida accepts his help, thinking he might be able to get more out of Rufus’s friends and acquaintances than she ever could. Richard assures Ida that everything is most likely fine, and they will likely be wasting their time by walking around in the rain. Upset, Ida responds that Rufus’s recent behavior is unlike him. Previously, even at his worst, Rufus would always check up on his family. Ida claims that things changed after Rufus got involved with “that damn crazy little cracker bitch” (Leona). In response, Richard can only shrug and sigh.

Hoping to calm everyone down, Cass suggests that Ida and Vivaldo stick around for dinner. She believes Rufus could show up later in the day, so it might be better if Ida and Vivaldo stayed put anyway. This way, they can at least wait until the rain subsides. Eventually, Ida gives in and decides to stay for dinner.

The morning before Thanksgiving, Cass goes out alone for a walk in her neighborhood. Her neighborhood has a large Puerto Rican population, who Cass admires for their gentle and playful demeanor. When Cass returns from her walk, she finds Richard in their apartment with a grave look on his face. When Cass asks what is wrong, Richard explains that Rufus committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge a few days before—Vivaldo just called him and gave him the news.

Cass fixes herself a drink while wondering what she could have done differently. Richard insists that Rufus was already beyond help by the time they saw him at the bar; he encourages Cass not to blame herself for what happened. Cass knows Richard is right, at least in part, but Rufus’s death pains her, nonetheless. She tells Richard that there was something sweet about Rufus—even if his hard exterior did not show it. Richard responds that, if that is the case, then Cass is more perceptive than he is, as he found Rufus to be quite self-centered. Richard also admits that he thinks Cass and Vivaldo treated Rufus differently because he was Black. Otherwise, they never would have stuck by his side after what he did to Leona.

Cass thinks that Rufus acted the way he did because he was in pain. Despite the way he behaved, Cass believes he loved Leona. When Richard scoffs at this idea, Cass reminds him that they have hurt each other in their relationship, yet they still love each other. Richard does not think the comparison is fair and tells her so. Cass says that although Richard did not hurt her in the same way, she has had to sacrifice parts of herself to please him and fit into his world. She found this transition painful, yet she did it for love. Richard holds Cass close to him, trying to show her support, yet still not fully agreeing with what she says. Cass looks out the kitchen window and thinks about Rufus’s death.

The following Saturday, Cass and Vivaldo get in a taxi to go head uptown for Rufus’s funeral. On the way to the funeral, Cass and Vivaldo discuss how their parents are disappointed in them. Cass’s parents—who are exceptionally wealthy—treat her coldly because they do not approve of Richard. Meanwhile, Vivaldo has an abusive, alcoholic father. He grew up in a rough part of town—most of the kids he knew are now dead or addicted to heroin. In comparison, he feels lucky.

Vivaldo tells Cass a story about how he and his friends picked up a gay youth when they were teenagers, drove him to a garage, and made him perform oral sex on all of them. Afterward, they beat him and stole his money and clothes. To this day, Vivaldo does not know what happened to the boy or even if he survived the assault. After finishing the story, Vivaldo wonders aloud if he is still the same person who was capable of doing such a terrible thing.

Cass thinks about how secrets can fester and destroy people if they are not exposed to the world. She contemplates her relationship with Richard and his novel. Secretly, both of them think that his novel—which is not particularly good—is the best he can do. Richard speaks openly about wanting to write something better, though neither he nor Cass think he is capable of doing so. Cass reminds herself that she must stay strong and support Richard no matter what.

Vivaldo tells Cass that he went to visit Rufus’s family following his death. When he walked through their door, Rufus’s family thanked him for coming. However, Vivaldo could tell that they blamed him for Rufus’s death. It was a terrible feeling, and Vivaldo desperately wanted to take their pain away. He felt this way especially about Ida, who looked so beautiful and seemed so hurt.

Vivaldo couldn’t help but think his skin color was creating a divide that made the moment more painful for everyone. Cass tells Vivaldo that nothing happened because of his skin color. However, a lot happened to Rufus because of his skin color—he and the rest of the Black community have suffered more pain than Vivaldo could ever hope to fix. Vivaldo looks outside the cab and sees Cass is right. The cab drives through the “ghetto” and all around are Black people who have been treated with indifference and contempt by society at large.

Vivaldo tells Cass about the only time he ever met Rufus’s family prior to his death. At the time, Ida was only 15 and had her hair in pigtails. As he says this, the cab pulls up to the church. Suddenly, Cass gets upset because she realizes she forgot to bring a hat or scarf to cover her head. She worries she will be seen as disrespectful if she enters the church without one. Vivaldo assures her she will be fine and tries to get her in the church. However, Cass insists she must go to a store even if it means being late to the service.

Vivaldo gets out of the cab and heads into the church. Meanwhile, Cass asks the cab driver to take her to 125th Street so she can find a hat or scarf. When Cass arrives at her destination, she gets out of the cab and clumsily makes her way to a store. She is the only white woman in the area and feels self-conscious about her race. A Black woman in the store asks Cass what she needs. Cass tries to explain but comes off slightly unhinged and rude. The woman passes her off to another clerk and Cass tries to explain herself again, this time with more success.

Eventually, Cass manages to purchase a scarf and exit the store. Her knees shake as she walks outside and hails a cab. Finally, she makes it back to the chapel for Rufus’s service, just as it is starting to get underway. As she enters, everyone turns around and looks at her, and an usher shows her to a seat in the back row. Cass notices that she and Vivaldo are the only white people present. She also notices that the attendees of the funeral are all spread out, making the service feel emptier than it is.

At the front of the church, a young woman sings a song and then an elderly man named Revered Foster takes her place. He introduces himself to the audience and then gives a lengthy speech about Rufus. Revered Foster does not mince words; he describes Rufus as “full of the devil” and talks about how he always got in trouble. However, he also acknowledges that Rufus went through life carrying a lot of pain, much of which was not his fault. He assures everyone that he loved Rufus and knows that they did too. Although it is a dark day, he encourages everyone not to lose hope and become bitter—the world is already bitter enough without adding more pain and sorrow to it. Reverend Foster finishes his speech by reminding everyone that—despite everything—Rufus was trying to make himself better, which is something that should make them proud.

After Reverend Foster finishes speaking, he invites three of Rufus’s friends up on stage to perform another song. After the song is over, pallbearers come and take Rufus away, and the church slowly empties. Cass finds Vivaldo and asks if they should go to the cemetery. Vivaldo says that only the family is going. Ida walks up to Vivaldo and Cass, and she thanks them for coming. Cass tells Ida that she is always around to help if Ida needs anything. Ida thanks Cass again and then leaves.

After Ida leaves, Cass wonders aloud whether Ida really appreciates her presence. She worries that Ida distrusts white people and does not think Cass’s behavior is genuine. Cass hopes that one day she can change Ida’s mind. Vivaldo agrees and then admits that he likes Ida and wishes to date her. He thinks he can help her grapple with Rufus’s death and see the world in a different way. With a smile, Cass tells him he is juvenile and knows nothing about life or women. Vivaldo asks Cass what she knows about men. Cass admits that she once thought she knew a lot but now, she is no longer sure.