Perfect Peace

After school, Paul goes to the Jordan River, hoping to find some answers. He walks along the riverbank and kneels, thinking that nothing can hinder the flow of the Jordan River; no one can alter its identity or purpose. Paul thinks back on his life and wonders how he has survived the constant ridicule and hatred. He reflects that his life changed when Gus cried over him during his illness, telling him that he loved him. Paul thinks about dying but states that he would not know how do so even if he wanted to. When Paul stands, he feels as though the Jordan River has healed his spirit. He decides to be like the Jordan and ignore what others think, but he still doesn’t understand exactly who he is. As Paul walks home, he is attacked by a group of people whom he cannot identify. They bind him, blindfold him, and force his pants and underwear down. Seeing his genitals, they exclaim that he truly is a boy. Paul prays to God and wonders why God is doing nothing to stop the attack; he wonders why he isn’t good enough for God to “save” him or help him. Paul is raped by his attackers.

The attackers hear a sound nearby and flee. Paul feels “dirty and nasty” and struggles to understand why he was assaulted (241). As he tries to lift himself, someone hushes him and quickly unties him, lifting him and rushing him to the Peace house. When Paul is placed on the porch, he recognizes the man who is helping him as Sugar Baby. Sugar Baby quickly runs back the way that he came, and Mister spots Paul through the screen door and calls for help. The men carry Paul to the sofa and demand to know what happened, but Paul remains silent. Gus leaps off the sofa and grabs his shotgun, exclaiming that he will find the culprits. Woody follows Gus to make sure that he doesn’t hurt anyone, and Emma Jean tries to comfort Paul as they wait for the doctor. Emma Jean believes that the townsfolk still want to see Paul as a girl, but because she was honest and revealed the truth, they resent her and Paul for it. However, Emma Jean recognizes that none of this would have happened if she had never decided to raise Paul as Perfect. Woody returns with the doctor, stating that Gus ran off somewhere. Doc Harris examines Paul and states that he will recover.

Nobody thinks to ask Sugar Baby if he knows anything about the incident. The narrative reveals that Sugar Baby had been wandering around the woods because he had run out of liquor. Hearing shuffling sounds, he sneakily approached and recognized the four young men attacking Paul. Later in the evening, Gus comes through the woods and tells Sugar Baby about Paul. Sugar Baby admits that he brought Paul home, but he denies seeing who harmed him. Gus cries, and Sugar Baby comforts him, stating that whoever hurt Paul will face retribution.

For days after the attack, Paul does not speak or eat, but eventually, he decides to get back to his routine and complete his chores despite his pain. Eva Mae asks Paul why he thinks this happened, and he begins to call himself derogatory names. Eva Mae apologizes for calling him names before, and Paul states that she can’t take her words back. She continues to push Paul for answers and realizes that his attackers raped him. She asks Paul if her suspicions are true, and he aggressively denies it, so Eva Mae decides to find out exactly what happened to Paul.

At school, Miss Erma tells the class that what happened to Paul is unacceptable and that if she finds out who did it, she will expel them. After school, Caroline, Eva Mae, and Paul walk home together. Eva Mae apologizes again for calling Paul names, and Paul exclaims that he can fight his own battles. Paul tells her that he appreciates her desire to help, but she needs to stop. Meanwhile, Eva Mae creates her plan for revenge. The friends change the subject, and Eva Mae asks Paul who he has a crush on. He thinks of Johnny Ray but cannot force himself to admit it. He thinks about the fact that he would love anyone who simply wanted him. The group encounters Sugar Baby, and Paul thanks him for his help. Sugar Baby denies knowing who attacked Paul.

In July of 1958, the church holds its annual picnic. Everyone in the community comes to hear the news of the voter registrations drive that Mister has been organizing. Mister and Johnny Ray Youngblood formed the Swamps Creek branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) after hearing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Mister believes that if he can convince the people in Swamps Creek to vote, they can get their own township charter. Now, at the picnic, W.C. belittles Mister behind his back. Paul wishes that he could be a member of the NAACP, but Emma Jean won’t allow it.

At the picnic, Caroline feels invisible when she sits with Eva Mae and Paul. The pair have a special relationship, and she questions her place in their friendship. After Eva Mae leaves, Caroline asks Paul why he thinks Christina, Miss Mamie’s granddaughter, keeps looking at him. When he states that he is unsure, Caroline says that Christina probably has a crush on him. Paul resolves to ask Christina to the dance. When he asks Caroline who she wants to go with, she shyly states that she wants to go with Bartimaeus. Paul is surprised but supportive. Because Caroline is plus-sized, she doesn’t believe that anyone will want to go to the dance with her; she uses eating as a coping mechanism because her father sexually abused her throughout her childhood. Caroline approaches Bartimaeus, who greets her sweetly. Caroline feels thankful that Bartimaeus never judges her for the way she looks or how much she eats. She worries that if Bartimaeus ever touches her body, he will find her unattractive. The pair hold hands as they sit together.

Later, Bartimaeus asks Mr. Burden, Caroline’s father, if he can take Caroline to the dance. The next day, Paul goes to the Cunningham household to ask Christina’s parents if he can take her to the dance. Christina’s father begins to ask Paul insensitive questions, and his wife scolds him. However, Paul pretends that the questions don’t bother him and promises that he has no bad intentions. Mr. Cunningham gives permission for Paul to take Christina to the dance. At home, Gus says that he is proud of Paul for asking Christina to the dance. Emma Jean realizes that Paul has nothing to wear, and Paul insists that he can just wear one of Woody’s preaching suits. Emma Jean refuses to listen and promises that Paul will be the most handsome young man at the dance.

Emma Jean spends the next several days looking through various fashion catalogs, and when she finds the perfect suit for Paul, she imagines that the people who once called Paul derogatory names will praise his masculinity and handsome face. Emma Jean knows that she cannot afford the suit, so she decides to fold clothes for a white family to earn the money for the fabric to make the suit herself. After hours of cutting fabric, Emma Jean tries to sew the suit together, but she quickly realizes that her inexperience with sewing will make the task impossible. Nevertheless, Emma Jean stays up all night trying to fix her various mistakes. By morning, she wonders if God is laughing at her and realizes that she needs help with the suit.

Emma Jean goes to Henrietta, the midwife who helped Emma Jean give birth, and asks her to help her fix Paul’s suit. Henrietta is shocked by Emma Jean’s audacity. Henrietta is now a seamstress. She tells Emma Jean that she will fix the suit if Emma Jean agrees to work for her for free for the rest of her life. Emma Jean vehemently refuses and storms home. She attempts to put the suit together again and fails. In the evening, she returns dejectedly to Henrietta’s house and agrees to the deal. Henrietta boasts about God’s ability to “bring it full circle” (272).

The women continue to argue about Emma Jean’s decision to raise her seventh child as a girl. Henrietta asks why none of the men noticed Perfect’s genitalia, and Emma Jean reminds her that men should never see a young girl naked. Emma Jean watches Henrietta sew, and the suit turns out beautifully. As Henrietta gives the suit to Emma Jean, she reminds her that she expects to see her at the “crack of dawn” the next day (275).

The next morning, Emma Jean shows off the suit that Henrietta made for Paul. Paul tries on the suit, and everyone looks at him in awe. Mister, who is extremely jealous of his parents’ bias toward Paul, compliments his brother despite his growing frustration. Mister quickly leaves, stating that he is going to feed the chickens. After a while, Gus asks Woody where Mister is because he is taking too long to simply feed the chickens. Paul tries to call for Mister, but he doesn’t answer. The family moves on and eats their breakfast.

Meanwhile, Mister—who has grown into a very attractive young man—thinks about how he has been hiding the fact that he has no interest in marrying a woman. After Woody and Bartimaeus get married, there is nothing left to hide the fact that he is sexually attracted to men. Mister thinks about telling the people in his community that he and Johnny Ray Youngblood are in love, but he knows that his family would never accept him. On the same day that Paul receives his new suit, Mister decides to tell Paul that he is gay. Paul is extremely surprised and doesn’t know what to say; Mister states that he thought Paul could empathize after everything he has been through. Paul lies, denying his attraction to Johnny Ray Youngblood. Mister reveals that he and Johnny Ray have been dating, and Paul realizes that the two have been meeting in secret in the woods. Paul becomes afraid for his brother, knowing that if anyone were to find out, there would be extreme repercussions from their families. Paul is also extremely jealous; he wonders why Johnny Ray would like Mister rather than him.

One day, while Mister and Johnny Ray are kissing in the forest, Mister tells Johnny Ray that he can’t keep meeting him in secret. Johnny Ray explains that if anyone ever finds out, he will tell them how much he loves Mister. Mister worries that their fathers will kill them if they ever find out. Mister wishes that he were Paul because Paul has always been his parents’ favorite. He craves people’s acceptance and approval, but he realizes that he needs to learn to live without validation from others.

During the night, W.C. comes running to the Peace household and says that the Redfield house is on fire. The men in the town frantically work to extinguish the fire, but they quickly realize that it is useless. The Redfield home burns down with the entire family inside. Hidden in the shadow of the forest, Eva Mae watches the fire and the reactions of the men who try to extinguish it. Eva Mae reflects that although the fire did not happen exactly as she intended, nobody in that family was “innocent.” She recalls Caroline telling her that she overheard the Redfield boys talking about how they raped Paul. Eva Mae decided that she needed to punish them for their actions. Sugar Baby sees Eva Mae at the scene of the fire but says nothing. He resolves that the Redfields “had it coming” (285).