The Summer of the Swans

Apprehensive, Charlie guards his lollipop. When Sara offers to fix it, promising him that she won’t throw it away, Charlie communicates his reluctance by shaking his head and shutting his eyes. He eventually relents after some persuasion, allowing Sara to replace the stick. Charlie turns his attention to a tent he made that morning via draping a blanket over a clothesline—albeit with Sara’s help. As Sara continues to chatter away about how terrible the summer is, “[Charlie] could tell from the tone of her voice that she was not really talking to him at all,” and the younger allows his thoughts to drift (10). Charlie reflects on the calm he experiences when in his tent, wishing to return. As Sara continues to complain, Charlie steps off the porch—protecting his repaired sweet—and does exactly that.

Three days prior, a flock of six swans visited the lake near the Godfrey home—and continue to linger. Wanda and Aunt Willie clash over Wanda’s intent to ride to the lake on Frank’s motor scooter. Aunt Willie insists that it’s too dangerous, but Wanda reminds her of her own agency as an adult. The primary caretaker for Wanda, Sara, and Charlie since their mother’s death six years ago (and their father working long distance), Aunt Willie takes her duty seriously—a fact that irritates Sara.

Wanda storms out of the house to join Sara on the porch, hoping that Frank arrives before their aunt can intervene. Wanda mentions that the father of a classmate in Wanda’s psychology class is a pediatrician whose interests include working with children with intellectual disabilities. Wanda is hopeful that the physician might provide supplementary services for Charlie. Sara is incensed by her sister speaking so openly about their brother to a stranger. She accuses the older of being indiscreet, using the slur “r*******” in reference to Charlie for the first time. Although Sara only used the term to voice how vulgar she finds Wanda’s actions, she’s left stunned by her own words. Wanda feels insulted that Sara assumed the worst and tells her sister that this exchange is exactly why she’s impossible to talk to.

Frank arrives and manages to charm Aunt Willie onto his motor scooter in order to prove its safety. Aunt Willie enjoys the experience, intentionally drawing the neighbors’ attention so that she might be seen riding up and down the street. Satisfied, she encourages Wanda and Frank to depart. Aunt Willie tells Sara that it is only a matter of time before Sara herself is picked up for dates. Ever fixated on her perceived shortcomings, especially in comparison to her sister, Sara rejects this notion. Aunt Willie assures Sara that appearances are not as important as she thinks. Tired of hearing this, Sara decides to take Charlie with her to the lake.

As the siblings walk to the lake, Sara continues to gripe about the importance of physical beauty and personal appearance—something adults fail to understand as integral to a teenage girl’s popularity. Their neighborhood is described as a tight collection of houses nestled between West Virginia hills. Once the location of a now collapsed coal mine, sections of the land show the wear and tear of constant mining.

When the siblings pass the house of Sara’s friend Mary Weicek, the girls chat about a dress Sara intended to buy for an upcoming dance. Sara complains that Aunt Willie refused to buy the dress as she felt it was too expensive—instead deciding to recreate it from scratch. Mary declines Sara’s invitation to see the swans, but coaxes her inside for a few minutes while her hair is set in preparation for a party later that evening. At Sara’s instructions, Charlie waits for her on Mary’s porch.

While waiting, Charlie admires his most prized possession—a wind-up analog watch gifted to him by Wanda. It has a red second hand that he enjoys watching. Although he can’t tell time, the trinket is a source of comfort, especially when he’s overwhelmed. Mary’s mother and a friend named Ernestine emerge from the house, the latter asking who Charlie is. Mary’s mother explains that he’s Sara’s brother and that he has an intellectual disability and is nonverbal—but capable of reading and writing as he attends the local school. Both women speak of him within earshot; Charlie simply fixates on his watch. Mary’s mother asks Charlie for the time, and in response, he presents his watch. This exchange is customary for those familiar with Charlie, a form of engagement between him and others in the community.

Tired of waiting, Charlie begins to walk away. Alerted by Mary’s mother, Sara rushes out of the house and reprimands Charlie for leaving without her. According to Sara’s complaints, Charlie’s behavior often consists of leaving on his own and refusing to cooperate should he be happy where he is.

Arriving at the lake, Sara and Charlie find the six swans floating peacefully, the younger utterly transfixed by them. Sara tells Charlie that according to Wanda, the flock came from a nearby university campus; no one knows why the swans chose to relocate nor how long they plan to stay. Sara coaxes Charlie to feed them some rolls they brought along. She shows Charlie how to tear small pieces of bread and toss them to catch the swans’ attention. When they run out of bread, Sara tells Charlie that it’s time to go home. She repeats this five times before he finally responds by shaking his head, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Sara lashes out in frustration, telling him that this behavior is exactly why she never wants to take him anywhere. She relents, negotiating an additional five minutes at the lake, indicating the time on Charlie’s watch; she’s forced to prod him once time’s up.