Solo

Rutherford broaches the subject of Sunny’s sealed letter with Blade. He tells Blade that they love him and were going to tell him that he was adopted when he turned 18. Blade reacts angrily and lashes out. He asks whether Rutherford ever thought about what Blade wanted: a normal household, without worrying that his father is going to die. Rutherford quietly agrees and softly cries that he misses Sunny. Blade replies that they all miss her, and he doesn’t want to lose another parent. Blade knows he should hug Rutherford, but before he can, Sia runs over and wipes away Rutherford’s tears and winks, breaking the moment of sadness. Sia starts vomiting while she sits with Rutherford, who is teaching her “Stairway to Heaven” (376). Rutherford panics, but Joy steps in and takes Sia to the nurse.

That night, Rutherford announces that he will join Blade on his trek to the mountains to meet Lucy, along with Stevie, Birdie, and the cameraman. Blade is furious and tells Rutherford that he doesn’t want him there, but Rutherford’s mind is made up. Joy tells Blade to give Rutherford a chance, and that she will join them on the trek too, so Blade reluctantly agrees. The following morning, Sia doesn’t eat. She feels sick and is sad that she can’t join the group. Blade notices that Joy looks worried, even though she reassures Rutherford.

Blade’s anxiety rises as they get closer to meeting Lucy. Rutherford notices and rubs Blade’s head, telling him to breathe. Blade listens to music to calm himself when they park at the end of the road and start their hike up a mountain. Rutherford is swarmed by biting ants who crawl up his pants, and Blade helps him brush them off. Rutherford tries to explain that alcohol was the reason for his bad parenting. Blade is dismissive, but he listens to Rutherford. When Blade slips on a rock and cuts his leg, Joy says she has medicine. Rutherford asks whether it’s “Some good ole Ghana roots and herbs?” (393) and Joy humorously replies that it is Neosporin. Blade muses that Joy is the medicine. As they get closer, the excitement builds. Rutherford grabs Blade and spins him around joyfully. Blade runs toward the village as Rutherford tells Travis to turn off the camera out of respect for Blade and Lucy. They see colorful mud and straw houses, children in school uniforms, and then Blade sees Lucy, walking down the red clay road flanked by four schoolgirls. Lucy sees Blade and runs to him.

Lucy is short but she wraps Blade in a strong embrace and cries with joy. Blade, overcome with emotion, passes out. He sleeps for a day and a half. When he wakes up, Lucy and Joy are standing over him, smiling and holding tea and food. They tell him he had a nightmare and shouted out about a spider trying to kill him. Blade and Lucy sit together and ask each other questions that neither of them fully answer, always countering with another question. Lucy tells Blade that he must go back down the mountain the following morning to avoid the impending rainstorms, but that she will join him in Konko soon. That night, Blade dreams about the spider again. When Rutherford hears about Blade’s dreams, he has a theory: Blade used to love the book Anansi the Spider (422), even making up songs about it, but he stopped reading it when Sunny died. Lucy tells Blade that “in Ghana folklore, Anansi carries knowledge and stories to / help us triumph over challenges” (422). As they start the hike back, Blade realizes the meaning of the dream. A “Ghanaian bon voyage feast” (425) is held to wish the group a safe trip back down the mountain. Blade plays “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac on Rutherford’s guitar after the meal as a thank you. Blade hugs Lucy goodbye and tells her that he loves her.

On their return to Konko’s center, the group is met with chaos. Sia has been taken to the hospital. The group drives straight to the hospital, where they are told that Sia has malaria. Frightened and frustrated, Rutherford yells at Joy, blaming her for not acting sooner, but he calms down and considers adopting her to get her treatment in America. Rutherford sits beside Sia, encouraging her to eat, telling her stories and holding her as she gazes up at him. Blade marvels at the love he sees between them. As Sia’s condition improves, Rutherford tells the others to go back to the village and rest. On their way out, Rutherford tells Blade that the “favor” Blade requested of him has been delivered to the school. When Blade thanks Rutherford, he replies, “No, thank you, son […] For giving me a reason to be better. For you” (437).

Joys asks Blade how he feels now that he has met his mother, and Blade shares that he feels “full” and “happy.” When Joy takes a nap, Blade finally reads the letter from Sunny. The letter to Blade from Sunny is full of bittersweet love. Sunny tells Blade that she and Rutherford are lucky to have found him, that they love him and that she dreamt about him a year before he was born. Sunny tells Blade that she used to babysit Lucy November and that Lucy never wanted to give him up—Lucy’s parents made her. Sunny encourages Blade to find Lucy, knowing they will love each other. In her final paragraph, Sunny asks for forgiveness and tells him they will always be family.

Blade goes with Joy to school the next morning, excited for her to see Rutherford’s gift for the village. When they arrive, a crowd of villagers is gathered around the new washing machine. Joy is ecstatic and jokes with Blade when he asks her out on a proper date. Blade sees Rutherford, looking dejected, walking up the road. Before Rutherford shares the news, Blade already knows: Sia has died. Rutherford yells in pain and grabs his guitar. Walking through the village, he plays wildly with emotion and the villagers join him with drums, songs, chants. The procession mourning Sia marches through Konko. With the backing of drums, Rutherford speaks to the villagers, honoring Sia and thanking them for embracing his son, Blade. He turns to Blade and Blade starts to play his guitar and sings a song he composed, titled “Solo.” The lyrics honor Sunny and Sia, expressing how much he loves and misses them. Blade sings for all the people he loves, including his father, Robert and Chapel, and thinks, “[M]ost of all / I sing / for myself. / The spider // I’m finally / ready / to face” (456).