The Beet Queen

The women are growing older, as Celestine admits, and she and Mary still antagonize each other in little ways with regularity. When Celestine has a dream that Sita is gravely ill, Mary, with her penchant for the occult, takes it as a sign. Sita’s husband, Louis, has since passed away, so they pack up to visit Sita and decide to stay once they arrive. Sita is clearly sick; she is fragile and thin, with hollows under her eyes. Mary also finds pills hidden in the flour container and worries that Sita might accidentally harm herself. She throws the pills away. When Sita discovers this, she digs through the garbage to rescue as many pills as she can find. Looking around Sita’s house, Celestine muses about the staying power of things. It seems wrong somehow that people’s things remain after they die. Meanwhile, their dog, Little Dickie, is sequestered outside; Sita will not allow him in the house. They hear him digging in Sita’s garden one night, followed by Sita’s angry shouts, and Mary throws a brick out of the window to frighten the dog away. It strikes Sita in the head, though not fatally. Celestine cares for her throughout the night, remembering the days when they were best friends as children.