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As the summer passes on, Lyman and Henry find a family that loves them like their own. Susy's family takes them in, and provides them with a place to stay for the summer. But as the summer comes to an end, Lyman and Henry leave the family they have come to admire and drive back home. Erdrich shows how their summer is filled with fun and happiness when Lyman tells Susy that they have to leave and she says, "You never seen my hair- (408). Her hair had been wrapped in a bun all summer, so she lets it down. This surprises the brothers when they find out her hair is so long that it hits the floor. They joke, laugh and play around after seeing this secret she was keeping from them all summer. After they said their goodbyes, they drive back home where the war is awaiting to draft Henry and make him a soldier. .
Henry takes off to war, along with all the others that are drafted at the same time. Lyman mails letter after letter to Henry, hoping they will reach his hand, so he can tell him of all the fun he is having fixing the red convertible that was used so much that summer. During Henry's time away, Lyman can not wait for Henry to come back. Lyman dreams of more summers to come, where his brother is driving the car, and he is in the passenger seat taking in the scenic sites. While Henry is away at war, he manages to mail one letter home. Lyman did not care that he did not say much in the letter about where he is or what he is doing, because he is just glad to hear from him. Lyman is so excited, because he wants his brother to see how well he has taken care of the car. As time passes, Henry returns home where his brother awaits him happily. When Henry returns home, Erdrich shows how war changes a person. After all the turmoil Henry had seen the three years he was away, his mind would not leave where he had come from; whether it be from the memories of killing a human being or from seeing people die right before his eyes.