No Promises in the Wind Study Guide

Chapter 6 Summary

Emily was really the star of the carnival. Even if people didn’t have money to see the rest of the carnival, they still made it a point to take their children to see Emily perform. Josh was upset about how some kids made fun of Emily. However, she reminded him about when he was a child, he surely made fun of clowns as well. Josh realized that he was no different than these kids, but that was before he had met a clown like Emily. Every time Emily went home, she would say goodbye to Josh. It was a simple thing that he enjoyed at the end of a long day.

Josh anxiously waited for Lonnie to return. Once he realized that Lonnie might have lost his job, he immediately sent over some money to cover what he owed the man. By Christmastime, the brothers were eager to buy each other something other than food. They happily opened their gifts days before Christmas. Even if Josh still can’t forgive his father, he couldn’t help but think about home, especially that the holidays are right around the corner. Whenever the carnival closed for the night, Josh would take long walks and think. They sent some money back home for Christmas. He also thought about Emily during those moments when he walked.

One night, while Emily was bringing her boys back home, Josh helped her carry her youngest. As soon as the boys were in their places, Emily stopped Josh and asked if she could speak to him. She said she wished she knew a girl that’s Josh’s age so that he could have someone to hang out with. He suddenly blurted out that he wished that Emily were his age. She said she was grateful for what he had said and bid him good night.

The next morning, Emily invited the boys and Edward over to her home on Christmas Eve for some cocoa and molasses cookies. The boys thought of something to give her for Christmas and Josh decided on giving her a perfume instead. However, Edward was more practical. He suggested to a box full of dimes instead. He had a point. Emily needed money more than she needed perfume. When they arrived by Emily’s house, she was dressed normally. No clown costume or make-up to hide her beauty. She kissed the boys and Edward on the forehead. When they entered, they found Pete Harris on the dining table, along with Emily’s boys. Josh was annoyed about how Pete spoke to Emily. He felt as if Pete thinks he owned Emily. It was an unhappy night for Josh, as he was really jealous of how Pete was treating Emily. The following days, Josh continued to be unhappy. He kept to himself mostly, with Joey avoiding him most of the time. He lashed out at Pete and Edward by speaking with Florrie, a dancer. They had already warned him about her, but he continued to speak to her. She was the one who told him about how Emily was Pete’s girl. He retaliated by no longer waiting for Emily to say good night to him. He always left his post early to avoid her.

One night, he decided to wait for her. He offered to walk home with her. He suddenly asked her about how she could marry Pete Harris. She explained to him about how Pete was there for her. Suddenly, Josh told her to just forget that she knew him. She told him that it hurt her, but she has to accept it. The next morning, Joey told Josh about how he had hurt Emily and Edward’s feelings.

The weather during that day in Louisiana drove people away from the carnival. Relieved of his duties, Josh decided to walk around. He sat by a tree and thought about how lonely he had been. He wanted to see Lonnie again, to speak to him. When he went back to the carnival, he noticed that it was on fire and began to run. He found Joey standing with Emily, her boys, and Edward. Watching how gentle Pete was with Emily, Josh finally understood.

Notes: Josh came to terms with falling for the wrong person at the wrong time. He also came to terms with the fact that Emily needed Pete more than she needed him.