The List of Things That Will Not Change

On the day of the colonial breakfast, Jesse arrived with a bucket of oysters for the class and parents. When it came time to serve them, Bea explained that Jesse was her dad’s fiancé, which inspired one of her classmates to question the fact that Jesse was marrying a man. As a result, nobody seemed to want to eat his oysters at first, but Angus bravely tried one despite always saying he hated eating them. Afterward, both students and parents followed his example and tried the oysters.

While writing a letter to Sonia in the time period leading up to the wedding, Bea’s classmate (the same one from the breakfast incident) interrupts her to inquire about the nature of this sister. When she made a remark that Sonia isn’t a real sister, Bea tricked her into putting her hand up toward her face and then smacked it, making the girl cry. Bea describes her anger like something that creeps up from behind her and surprises her and those around her.