Chapter 45 Summary and Study Guide

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens on the morning of the family's big garage sale, when Mom walks into the garage with exciting news: she has landed another job interview, this time with an educational technology company. The narrator cheers her on, and the siblings are thrilled to see her pursuing new opportunities. However, Mom admits she doesn't know much about the edu-tech industry and needs time to prepare. She asks whether the three children can run the garage sale entirely on their own.

The narrator agrees enthusiastically, glancing at Lea and Bowen for support. Mom looks curiously at the boxes and tables they're setting up outside and asks what they're selling. Lea quickly answers that it's just old stuff they found lying around. Mom hesitates before heading back inside, asking whether she'll miss any of the items. The narrator pictures Mom in her old fuzzy newspaper cap, plaid skirt, and platform shoes, and scrunches their face at the mental image, assuring her she won't miss a thing.

Once Mom retreats to prepare for her interview, the siblings get to work. Their driveway is short, like all the others on the street, but because Mom parks the family Honda inside the garage, they have plenty of space to set up tables. Bowen looks down at the colorful shirts, scarves, and knickknacks they've pulled from Mom's closet, including a red velvet box the narrator found tucked deep in the back of her clothes. Bowen worries whether Mom will be okay with them selling her old clothes. Lea points out that the box literally said