- This chapter's poem tells the story of how Gram took Lennie to the doctor to have her heart checked out after Bailey died. When she found out her heart was fine, Lennie cried, because she wanted the same heart as her sister. One look at Lennie's tear-stained face told Gram that Lennie's heart was okay.
- Gram and Lennie finally have tea together; Lennie asks Gram to talk about her mom.
- Gram tries to explain that she told them the explorer story so they wouldn't blame or miss their mother.
- Lennie says that the truth would've been better than a story.
- Gram admits that Paige was definitely troubled, but the explorer thing wasn't a complete fake either—it was just as true as a diagnosis.
- Gram says she's been hiding something else. When Lennie's mom was threatening to leave her children with Gram, Gram told her that if she left, she could never come back.
- Lennie sees Gram's guilt and tells her it's not her fault.
- She also decides she's had her mom all along since Gram is basically her mother.
- Lennie decides that in the same way that Sarah is an existentialist, she's a "messistentialist," meaning she believes that there's never one truth or answer, just a bunch of stories getting in each other's way.
- Later that evening, while Lennie plays Joe's song again and again, Gram gives all her Paige letters to Lennie so she can read them.
- Lennie realizes that Gram's letters to Paige are a lot like her poems—they were written not knowing if anyone would read them.