The View From Saturday

Mrs. Olinski watches the contest from the aisle. She is sitting beside Dr. Roy Clayton Rohmer, the District Superintendent for Clarion County. As they watch, Mrs. Olinski thinks about her prior interactions with Dr. Rohmer. When Epiphany won the middle school championship, Dr. Rohmer had asked Mrs. Olinski how she had chosen her team, to which she jokingly replied, “In the interest of diversity, […] I chose a brunette, a redhead, a blond, and a kid with hair as black as print on paper” (22). Dr. Rohmer responded by lecturing Mrs. Olinski on “multiculturalism,” to which she said, “Oh, […] then we are still safe […] You can tell the taxpayers that the Epiphany Middle School team has one Jew, one half-Jew, a WASP, and an Indian” (22). Dr. Rohmer demonstrates his ignorance by insisting that the “Indian” team member must be called “Native American” (despite the fact that Julian’s family is from India) and by asking Mrs. Olinski how she would feel being called a “cripple.”

The redhead among Mrs. Olinski’s Souls is Nadia Diamondstein. Nadia hits the buzzer first when the New York Commissioner of Education asks the second question: “What is the name given to that portion of the North Atlantic Ocean that is noted for its abundance of seaweed, and what is its importance to the ecology of our planet?” (24).

The second portion of Chapter 2 is titled “Nadia Tells of Turtle Love” and follows Nadia’s backstory in the first person from Nadia’s perspective (25). Nadia describes her visit with her father during the first year following her parent’s divorce:

Nadia arrives in Florida with her dog, Ginger, to spend the summer vacation with her father. Nadia’s father, Allen, lives in a “swinging singles apartment complex” near his own father, Izzy, and Izzy’s second wife, Margaret Diamondstein (26). Izzy moved to a retirement community, Century Village, after his first wife (Bubbe Frieda) died. Izzy and Margaret met during their daily walks along the beach, where Margaret is part of the “turtle patrol.” They fell in love and recently married. Noah Gershom, their friend’s grandson, stood in as best man after Allen hurt his ankle. Nadia describes Margaret as an “atrociously” dressed, typical blond Florida widow, whom her grandfather adores. Margaret is an official turtle steward who oversees a group of volunteers who are licensed to move and dig out turtle nests after the eggs have hatched. They look for “live pipped” baby turtles—“dead pipped” turtles die before they make it out of their shells, but “live pipped” turtles can be rescued.

Nadia and her father join Izzy and Margaret for Sunday brunch, but Nadia’s feelings are hurt by Margaret’s lack of interest in her. Afterward, Nadia meets up with some of her old Florida school friends from before her parents’ divorce and does not have fun, realizing that “many friendships are born and maintained for purely geographical reasons” (29). Nadia gets frustrated with her father hovering around. He seems unsure what to do with her and anxious to get back to work. Nadia notices her father’s relief when Grandpa Izzy suggests that she join them at Century Village where Margaret’s grandson, Ethan, has arrived for a visit. Nadia did not know Margaret had a grandson or that he was coming to visit, but she agrees to go if she can take Ginger. By the time Nadia and her father arrive, Grandpa Izzy, Margaret, and Ethan are already on their turtle walk. Nadia watches as they walk back along the beach, noting that Ethan seems to be a “healthy prepubescent” (31). Izzy excitedly tells Nadia that one of their turtle nests is ready to be dug out that evening. Even though Nadia did a school science project on Florida turtles, she doesn’t want to stay to help. When Grandpa Izzy says that “[i]t’ll be like old times” (33), Nadia bristles. In the “old times” (a year ago), Margaret was just Mrs. Draper—a friend of her grandfather—and her family was still intact. Nadia makes the excuse that her father is picking her up soon, but her father accepts Izzy’s invitation to join them on the dig.

Before going to dig out the turtle nest, Nadia joins Ethan by the pool where they chat about turtles and how, like Ginger, Nadia is a “mixed breed […] Half-Jewish; half-Protestant” (35). Nadia finds out that Ethan’s visit was planned, but no one had thought to mention it to her.

Nadia is not excited about digging out the turtle nest. When Allen asks Margaret what happens to the “live pipped” turtles, Nadia’s frustration deepens: Her father “could have asked [her]. [She] did get an A on that report” (38). Margaret explains that turtles eventually return to the beach where they were born, making Nadia think about her mother’s return to New York following her divorce. Back at Izzy’s condo, Nadia dwells on the differences she sees between Margaret and her late Bubbe Frieda. Bubbe made delicious rugelach, while Margaret buys Entenmann’s and Oreos. Margaret suggests that Allen join their morning turtle walks before work, and without hesitation, or asking Nadia, he agrees.

During the week, the family group sees a movie and a play, The Phantom of the Opera. During both events, Nadia is struck by how fascinated Ethan is with the production of the shows. Later that week, Allen asks Margaret whether he can be listed on her turtle patrol permit. Izzy and Margaret are thrilled, but Nadia is not. Nadia thinks Margaret “must [be] quite proud of her loggerheads. They got her [Nadia’s] Grandpa, and now they got her [Nadia’s] dad” (42). Nadia starts to hang back with Ginger during the turtle walks. When the nest hatches and all 107 baby turtles make it to the water, Izzy hugs Margaret and congratulates Ethan and Allen, but, Nadia notes, “Grandpa [does] not hug or congratulate [her]” (43).

Later, by the pool, Nadia notices that Ethan’s key chain ornament is a molar. Since Nadia’s mother is a dental hygienist in Dr. Gershom’s practice, Nadia asks Ethan about it. Ethan tells Nadia that her mother gave it to him—Dr. Gershom is his family dentist. Ethan also shares that Margaret set up the job interview for Nadia’s mother with Dr. Gershom in Epiphany.

Nadia is stunned and furious. She had no idea that Ethan knows so much about her and that he knows more about how decisions were made after her parents’ divorce than she does. Nadia is hurt that “no one seemed to think it would matter to [her] whether [she] spent [her] life in New York or Florida or commuting between the two” (46). Ethen asks Nadia what his grandmother, Margaret, has told her about him. She replies that Margaret has told her nothing—not even that he was visiting. Ethan asks Nadia whether Margaret has mentioned his older brother Luke, and smiles when she says that Margaret has not.

Nadia is so angry that Margaret is interfering with her family and her life that she refuses to join the group on their turtle walks. Nadia asks her father whether he knew that Margaret had set up her mother’s interview. He replies that he did, and when Nadia says that he could have told her, Allen fuels Nadia’s rage by replying that he “didn’t think it was important” (48).

The following morning, Nadia once again refuses to go on the customary turtle walk. Nadia lets her father know how angry she is, telling him, “I’ve decided not to spend your child custody time on turtle walks with Margaret and her grandson” (49). Allen makes the mistake of looking at his watch while Nadia is talking, causing her fury to deepen. Nadia refuses to join her father for breakfast and does not pick up the calls during the day from him or Izzy. When Allen gets home from work, he tells Nadia that he’s taken the following day off so they can go to Epcot Center at Disney World, just the two of them.

That evening, a storm hits. At midnight, Allen gets a frantic call from Izzy, explaining that the turtle hatchlings will be swept ashore if they don’t harvest them at daybreak. “Harvesting” involves collecting the hatchlings and taking them to the Marineland organization, who will later release them 50 miles offshore, in the Sargasso Sea. Nadia tells Izzy that her dad was planning on taking her to Epcot, but Izzy continues to plead for their help. Nadia watches her father closely. After a long pause, Allen says, “Let Mother Nature worry about the turtles. They can take care of themselves” (53).

As much as she wants to go to Epcot with her father, Nadia tells Izzy that she will talk with her father and educate him about turtles. Allen sits down and listens intently as Nadia explains the life cycle and migration patterns of turtles. Once Allen understands the dire consequences of not helping the hatchings, he sees that they have no choice. Nadia, Allen, and Ginger drive over to Izzy’s place in the storm. On the way, Allen asks Nadia to tell him more about turtles, specifically what they do during the 15 years between leaving the Sargasso Sea in the Azores and returning to the beach in Florida. Nadia explains that the turtles “commute” year after year, north in the summer and south in the winter, much like herself. As she makes the connection, Nadia laughs and understands that—like the turtles—she and her father are also adjusting to new migration patterns after the divorce and that both will need help and understanding from each other to make it work.