Why I Live at the P.O.

Why I Live at the P.O. Summary | Detailed Summary

The narrator, simply known as "sister," begins the story telling of how she had a fine relationship with her family: Mama, Papa-Daddy (her maternal grandfather) and Uncle Rondo. That is, until her younger sister returned home anyway. Stella-Rondo had recently separated from her husband - a man who, Sister points out, used to go with her until Stella-Rondo "stole" him. Stella-Rondo is the baby of the family by exactly twelve months and Sister says that is why she is so spoiled.

Sister is upset that Stella-Rondo always gets everything she wants and she just throws it away. This explains why, soon after getting married to Mr. Whitaker, she separates from him and comes home with a two-year old child, Shirley-T. Mama "pretends" to be upset with Stella-Rondo for not telling her about the baby, but Stella-Rondo claims that the baby is adopted. All Sister can think about is how extravagant Stella-Rondo's hat is and how she is going to stretch the lunch to feed two more people when Stella-Rondo arrives home unexpectedly on the Fourth of July. Sister also comments that although Stella-Rondo claims that Shirley-T is adopted, she looks just like what Papa-Daddy would look like if he shaved his beard. Stella-Rondo commands Sister not to make any more comments about her "adopted" daughter.

Sister then notices that Stella-Rondo turns Papa-Daddy against her first thing at the table. She tells Papa-Daddy that Sister said she does not understand why he does not cut off his "long-long" beard. Papa-Daddy gets angry, lays down his silverware and confronts Sister. He lays on the guilt trip about how he got her the job as postmaster at the post office and how she does not understand him. Sister tries to defend herself by explaining that Stella-Rondo made up the whole story as she sat there eating her lunch. Stella-Rondo insists Sister said it and Mama scolds Sister for the argument they are having as if Sister started it. Sister puts up her napkin and leaves the table. Mama asks Papa-Daddy to call her back, but all Papa-Daddy can say is "this is the beard [he] started growing when [he] was fifteen." He announces that he is going to go lie in the hammock and that he will never cut off any of his beard. He passes by Sister in the hall and walks straight outside.

Soon, Uncle Rondo appears in the hall wearing Stella-Rondo's flesh-colored kimono. Sister jokingly comments to him that she does not recognize him. He brushes past her and announces that he is poisoned. Uncle Rondo has drunk a bottle of expensive prescription medicine. He does this every July Fourth and then collapses in the hammock to snore the day away, which is exactly where he is headed. Sister warns him not to bother Papa-Daddy in the hammock and explains what happened. He continues on his way out to the hammock.

When Uncle Rondo reaches the hammock, Papa-Daddy tries to "turn him against Sister"
as well. He complains about Sister's supposed poor reading skills and wonders how she can even do her job at the P.O. He also compliments Stella-Rondo for getting out of town. They continue like this - Papa-Daddy swinging in the hammock and Uncle Rondo pleading with him to stop because he is getting dizzy.

As this is happening, Sister hears Stella-Rondo raise the window and loudly sigh. Of course, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo do not hear her through their own commotion. Sister runs to Stella-Rondo's room to see what is wrong. Stella-Rondo asks Sister to look outside and tell her what she sees. Sister says she sees Uncle Rondo trying to get Papa-Daddy out of the hammock. Stella-Rondo asks what is strange about Uncle Rondo and Sister describes him wearing a "terrible-looking flesh-colored contraption." Stella-Rondo is beside herself wondering why Uncle Rondo would wear part of her wardrobe when she has just hung it up in on the bathroom door. She also says that Uncle Rondo looks like a fool and the sight of him in it makes her sick to her stomach. Sister sticks up for Uncle Rondo and says he looks as good as he could. She then scolds Stella-Rondo for criticizing when she has just come home with a two-year old child and recently separated. Stella-Rondo reminds Sister that she is not to discuss the baby anymore.

Sister leaves the room and heads to the kitchen. Mama has given the servants the day off and no one else will do any work. She makes green tomato pickles. Mama comes in, looks at what sister has made and tells her it is not a good choice for Uncle Rondo in his condition or for Shirley-T. Sister comments that she is glad it was not she that came home with a child - she does not even want to begin to think about how the family would have received her. Sister and Mama then have a disagreement about whether Shirley-T is really adopted. Then, Sister wonders aloud if Shirley-T can talk because they had not heard her say a word. Mama yells upstairs, asks Stella-Rondo and tells her that Sister says Shirley-T cannot talk. Stella-Rondo says she can and Shirley-T begins singing and tap dancing. Mama then turns to Sister and insists she apologize to her sister and niece.

At this point, Stella-Rondo has Papa-Daddy, Mama and Shirley-T on her side. That only leaves Uncle Rondo still on Sister's side. This does not worry Sister too much yet because in the past he has been on her side as well. He even once, when Stella-Rondo broke a chain letter, took away from her a radio he had given her. He then gave the radio to Sister.

At dinner, however, Stella-Rondo begins her work. She asks Uncle Rondo to eat something. He says he will only eat cold biscuits and ketchup. Sister questions if he should really be eating ketchup while wearing the kimono. Stella-Rondo takes her chance and tells Uncle Rondo that Sister spent all afternoon looking out the window sneering at him. Stella-Rondo also says that Sister said he looked like a fool. His temper flares and he yells at sister for her disrespect. Sister knows that something bad is coming from Uncle Rondo because that is how he does things. Nothing happens until the next morning when he throws a whole string of firecrackers into Sister's room. They all explode. Sister, who has always been highly sensitive to noise, can take it no more. She makes it obvious that she is gathering all her belongings throughout the house. Uncle Rondo offers her his army cot because they do not really think she is going anywhere - they do not think she has anywhere to go. She surprises them when she announces that she is going to live at the post office.

As she gathers everything that is hers or that she has helped pay the majority for, she tells Mama she can visit the things at the P.O. if she misses them. Mama says she will never visit the P.O. again. Stella-Rondo agrees. Papa-Daddy says he will never visit the post office again for fear that Sister will reach through the window and cut off his beard. They all claim they will never write another letter again. Sister asks Stella-Rondo how she will get Mr. Whitaker to come back after her if she does not write him a letter. She also admits that she thinks Mr. Whitaker actually left Stella-Rondo instead of the other way around. Sister leaves and moves all of her belongings to the P.O.

By the end of the story, the mail has slowed down because it is a small town and no one in Sister's family writes letters anymore, but she has set up a nice home in the P.O. She also soon knows which of the townspeople are on her side. She decides that if Stella-Rondo ever comes to her to tell her the truth about her and Mr. Whitaker, she will not listen.