The Good Sister

Wally manages to convince the vet not to report Fern to the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). He tells Fern he will watch over Alfie while she is away at work. Fern is distraught that she endangered Alfie with her forgetfulness. Wally suggests the possibility that Rose may have forgotten to ask Fern, but Fern says Rose never forgets things. Wally finds Fern’s forgetfulness out of character since she seems very fastidious otherwise. He also finds it strange that Fern lives in dread of doing something wrong. Fern says this is because she has done a terrible thing in the past. Wally drops Fern and Alfie home. Fern has her usual insomnia and bad dreams at night, reliving the terror of Billy’s death.

Owen and Rose have the perfect reunion. Rose feels everything is going smooth till “the Fern situation” (64). It was her fault for leaving Alfie in Fern’s care. Fern can seem to be very high-functioning, which makes Rose sometimes forget about her difficulties. Rose reflects that she hates the idea of soon leaving Owen. Leaving a place is emotionally traumatizing for Rose because of the history with Nina. When she and Fern were children, Nina would often threaten to leave them. Nina compared Rose unfavorably with Fern, noting that Fern was skinny while Rose was plump. She would tease Rose with the nickname “Rosie Round” (66) and comment on her appetite. As a type 1 diabetic, Rose needed to eat frequently. Still, she would hide her appetite from Nina for fear of being taunted. Once when Rose began to cry after Nina teased her for eating too much birthday cake, Nina left the house in a fit of rage. Rose and Fern were left alone with very little to eat at home. Nina returned many hours later and hugged Rose.

Wally dog-sits Alfie as promised while Fern is at the library. Fern recommends the book I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith to a preteen who wants to be a writer. Carmel tells Fern she hasn’t put down her name for the staff bowling day. Fern is confused by Carmel’s statement since it isn’t framed as a question. Carmel finally asks Fern why she isn’t coming bowling. Fern tells her she hates bowling. Fern decides to avoid Carmel till her conversation skills improve. Wally turns up with Alfie since he has to go for a sudden important business meeting. Carmel tells Fern she can’t keep the dog at work. Fern sneaks Alfie into a tiny secret room at the back of the library. Fern’s old boss Janet had shown Fern the room, realizing Fern sometimes needed a place to compose herself when there was too much rush at the library.

Meanwhile, Gayle tells Fern a man other than Wally has come around asking for her. Fern is puzzled about the identity of the man. Wally returns to the library in an angry mood. He missed his meeting because he couldn’t find a place to park. He snaps at Fern when she asks him too many questions. Fern remembers Janet saying, “angry is just a pen name for sad” (80) and responds to Wally with the generous offer of her own parking spot. In exchange, she only wants to keep referring to him as Wally. Wally laughs, no longer angry. When Fern tells him about Carmen pressuring her to go bowling, Wally asks Fern to sign them both up.

Fern arrives at the bowling alley wearing earplugs and swimming goggles so she can moderate the sounds and sights around her. Wally apologizes to Fern for his earlier behavior and says she was right in thinking his anger wasn’t really about the parking spot. Fern is not used to being told she is right. Inside the alley, Fern’s senses feel assaulted despite the plugs and goggles. Wally and Fern are placed with Gayle and Linda, another coworker at the library. Wally is attentive to Fern and seems to get along well with all the library folk. When he goes off to get drinks for Fern and himself, Gayle and Linda ask Fern about their relationship. The sound of children cheering and a tune from a game machine make Fern feel claustrophobic, and she begins to rock to calm herself. Her co-workers are concerned but clueless about what to do. When Wally returns, he touches Fern, and she screams with anxiety. Wally takes her away. He tells Fern that even though she tried to face her fear, he understands that sometimes the fear is just too much to deal with.

Rose and Owen take the Euro rail to Paris where they have a romantic holiday. Rose watches Owen near a small child in a red coat and wishes she could give him a baby. She also worries about Fern, who hasn’t been returning her calls. Rose feels guilty for leaving Fern alone. Rose knows she is hard on herself and a perfectionist. The pressure for things to be perfect comes from her childhood desire to please Nina at all costs. Because the smallest mistake could trigger Nina’s anger, Rose would obsessively plan her days to be snag-free. Nina would even be annoyed with Rose for being a diabetic, getting exasperated when Rose complained of thirst or hunger. Once, Nina became angry with the children because someone had stolen money from her drawers. Rose took the blame to protect Fern, and Nina punished her by ordering pizza only for herself and Fern. Rose went hungry the entire night, almost slipping into a hypoglycemic state. The next morning, Nina found the money and asked Rose never to lie to her. She forgave Rose. Rose muses that forgiving her children for faults they hadn’t committed made Nina feel like a good mother.

Wally drives Fern home from the bowling alley. He tells Fern not to let the experience put her off trying new things, illustrating his point with a story. When he was younger, he developed a successful restaurant delivery app called Shout!, the first of its kind. He loved coding but hated the networking that became part of his job as the company grew. Ultimately, he couldn’t deal with the pressure and had a “full-blown nervous breakdown” (99). After spending a month recovering at a psychiatric facility, he moved to Australia to make a fresh start. In Australia, he has been developing another app, which is what his scheduled meeting is about. Wally asks Fern if it was his touch that alarmed her at the bowling alley, but she explains it was the combination of sensations. Wally understands because he is like Fern. Fern is befuddled by the statement till it dawns on her that Wally too is neurologically atypical. It explains why he looks at her shoulder, is extremely punctual, and was angry about missing the meeting. Fern feels she finally has someone in her life who understands her experience.

Fern and Wally discuss the sensory experiences they like and dislike. Fern asks Wally about sex and he says it can be good or bad for him, depending on the context. Fern asks Wally if he will have sex with her. Before Wally can answer, Fern’s neighbor Mrs. Hazelbury knocks at the window of the parked van. Rose has been calling Mrs. Hazelbury in panic because Fern isn’t answering her phone. Fern feels dread, wondering what she did wrong now. She calls Rose back and tells her she couldn’t answer the phone as she had gone bowling. She tells Rose about Wally driving her back. Rose is worried Fern is associating with a stranger who may take advantage of her, but Fern tells Rose everything is fine. Wally knocks at the door and tells Fern he never answered her question about sex. They kiss. 

Wally asks her if having sex is safe, indirectly inquiring if Fern is using contraception. Fern says yes, interpreting Wally’s question as a matter of literal safety. Sex with Wally is a “pleasant surprise” (105). The only person she has had sex with before is a boy called Albert, and she couldn’t wait for it to be over. With Wally, she focusses on their pleasure. She even forgets briefly that her secret motive for having sex with Wally is getting pregnant for Rose. Fern contemplates telling Rose about her relationship with Wally. When she’d told Rose about Albert, Rose had invited him to dinner, where she asked him several pointed questions. Albert had stopped speaking to Fern after that.

Mrs. Hazelbury comes over to tell Fern that the bylaws of their municipal area state she cannot keep a dog with her and have a van parked in front of her house. Fern has researched the subject and informs her neighbor a central government act supersedes the bylaws to state owners’ corporations cannot legally ban people from keeping pets. The van too is a registered motor vehicle, rather than a caravan, and can hence be parked in a residential area. Mrs. Hazelbury is left speechless. Fern has to take Alfie to work because Wally has his meeting. Carmel confronts her about the dog again. Fern says she can technically bring in Alfie as a support animal for her disability. However, when Carmel asks her the nature of her disability, Fern has no answer since she has never received a diagnosis. Wally’s meeting is successful. He wants to go out with Fern, but she informs him that she has to visit Nina. Nina is still alive and in a nursing home.