In this flashback, Beth remembers the first five years of Bobby’s life at Blakely Farm as a time of shared routine and happiness. Bobby spends his days outdoors with Beth, Frank, David, and the rest of the family, helping with small jobs, talking constantly, and moving easily through the farm world. Beth reflects on how deeply Bobby seems rooted in the land and the family’s history, while also showing his own stubborn, charming personality.

When Bobby starts primary school, Beth is more shaken by the separation than Bobby is. He approaches school with confidence, only briefly returning to ask whether Beth will manage without him. Because Bobby is away during the day, Beth throws herself more fully into farm work, and David begins teaching her practical skills he once passed to Frank and his sons, from checking livestock health to driving farm machinery.

During one of these working days, David unexpectedly asks whether Beth and Frank plan to have another child now that Bobby is at school. The question forces Beth to confront feelings she has already been avoiding. Although she can imagine wanting another baby, she also fears that a new child would inevitably divide her attention and alter the intense, exclusive bond she still has with Bobby.

A few days later, Frank reveals that David has spoken to him and gently raises the idea of trying for another baby. Beth admits that, although another child might seem sensible, she is not ready to give up the closeness she has with Bobby or to accept how motherhood would change again. Frank immediately understands and reassures Beth, showing that he respects her feelings rather than pressing the issue.

That understanding deepens their intimacy that night. Their lovemaking feels unusually intense, and afterward they laugh together at its force and emotion. The chapter ends with Frank settling beside Beth and quietly affirming that what they already have feels complete, underscoring the strength of their marriage and the central place Bobby holds in it.