Hearts Unbroken

Joey interviews Garrett Ferguson, the senior cast as the Wizard. Garrett says Hughie took a role that Garrett considered his (the Tin Man). He also misunderstands Hughie’s ethnicity: “All these people barging into our country, taking over. We’re practically an endangered species” (190). At home, Louise and Hughie fold laundry together. Hughie discusses the need for an excellent production to prove the worthiness of the cast. In an outburst of emotion, he suddenly flings the clothes-folding board into the wall above the washer, where it hits and dumps the storage container of Mama’s beadwork. Thousands of tiny beads fly everywhere. Hughie claims that Mama knew about Baum’s racism: “She should’ve told me” (192). Louise understands his displaced anger but cannot comfort him.

Louise sees a spirit poster for the upcoming football game between East Hannesburg and West Overland, Joey’s old school. The poster depicts a Honeybee stabbing a “Hollywood Indian” (193) with its stinger. The style of the artwork suggests Nick drew it, but he is DJing in the school radio booth. Louise goes to the bench of “popular people” nearby and demands to know if they saw the poster. Cam initially asks why she is upset but then ignores her concern.