Behold the Dreamers: Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis

What Neni misses most after her departure from the Hamptons is the food, all of which was catered for the Edwards family’s cocktail parties. It was so good that she called Fatou one evening and told her that she had “died and gone to food heaven.” It was the kind of food that Neni had seen in magazines: sesame seared tuna, beef tenderloin, California caviar, mushroom caps stuffed with jumbo lump crabmeat, and steak tartare. Neni loves the latter most, though she never thought she would one day like raw meat. So, Neni is glad when Anna calls and asks if she can help out with a brunch that Cindy and her friends are having in Manhattan. Neni and Anna will serve and clean up.

The brunch takes place at June’s apartment, where Neni arrives the next Sunday afternoon. There are no more than six children there, and Neni is thankful to see that Mighty is one of them. He runs up to her and hugs her so tightly that she reminds him that he isn’t her only baby, but that she also has one growing inside of her. He tells Neni that his last days in the Hamptons were boring. Neni says that next time she’ll stay instead of taking off her last two days, and that maybe Mighty can go with her to Harlem where they can continue making puff-puff for breakfast. Mighty says it’d be “cool” to go to Harlem, then he remembers that there’s no beach there.

Neni walks the appetizers around the room before setting the leftovers on the table, always smiling and nodding at Cindy’s friends, all of whom she’d met in the Hamptons. They are kind and polite to her. They offer advice on prenatal yoga and tell her where she can find the best studios in the city. They remind her to call them by their first names, though she can’t bring herself to do this; it’s a sign of disrespect in Limbe. They compliment her on her smooth skin and ask her how long it takes to get her braids done. Neni is surprised by their friendliness, having expected that they would be indifferent to her, like rich white people in the movies.

Cindy is the “kindest and politest” of everyone in the room, reminding Neni not to overexert herself. While watching Cindy laugh and chat with her friends, Neni finds it hard to reconcile her joyfulness with the strange episodes in the Hamptons. Then, Anna whispers in her ear that they need to talk about Cindy. Anna asks if Neni noticed Cindy’s “problems” in the Hamptons. Neni doesn’t say anything. Anna then tells her that Anna came in for work in the morning and noticed that Cindy reeked of alcohol. She says that, last week, she saw three empty bottles of wine in the garbage. Neni admits that she noticed the same problem in the Hamptons. Anna says that the family has “big problems.” Neni thinks about telling Anna about the pills but doesn’t want to upset her any further.

Neni figures that Cindy will one day stop drinking, which is a habit that Neni thinks is no big deal. In Limbe, lots of people drank every day, and one of her uncles is “the best drunkard in Bonjo,” who serenades the neighborhood on his best days. Anna says that servants who’ve worked for families with problems like the Edwardes’ end up losing their jobs. Now, Neni is worried. Anna goes on to talk about Cindy’s mother and sister, about how unkind Cindy’s mother was to her, and how her sister cut Cindy out of her life after their mother died four years ago. Anna says that Cindy has no family, except for Clark and the boys.

Anna wants to tell Clark about Cindy’s alcoholism, but Neni insists that they can’t. She walks to the kitchen, picks up a bottle of water, and gulps down half of it. Maybe Anna’s right. Though she doesn’t want to get involved in other people’s marriages, Clark works all the time and could never know the extent of what Cindy’s going through. During the weeks in the Hamptons, Neni only saw him during cocktail parties, where he and Cindy acted as though they were together all the time. The first party was to celebrate Cindy’s fiftieth birthday. Cindy blow-dried her hair and looked like Gwyneth Paltrow in her orange backless dress. Toward the end of the party, they stood with their arms around each other while Cindy’s friends toasted her selflessness and beauty. By the next morning, Clark was gone, as was Cindy’s “ceaseless smile” from the previous evening.

During the brunch, Anna prompts Neni to talk to Clark, while people were starting to leave. Neni nods and starts walking toward the living room. She decides not to say anything to Mr. Edwards about the pills—only about the wine. Then, she remembers that Jende will be furious if she brings this up. She tells Anna, but Anna insists that this is only between them.

Neni stands with a tray of scones, unsure of what to say or how to say it. Instead of talking about Cindy, she asks Clark if he’s related to John Edwards. Clark turns toward her, chuckling, and says that he isn’t. Neni rubs her belly at the spot where the baby is kicking her, as though admonishing her for being so silly, and tells Clark that he resembles the politician a bit. Clark says “that’s funny” and suggests that Neni go offer the scones to the other guests. When Neni runs back to the kitchen, Anna asks if she told Clark about Cindy’s drinking. Neni shakes her head and buries her face against the fridge.