68. Wales. Sophie writes that the crew is driving across Wales; she says that the countryside is “lush and inviting,” and wishes that they could stop more to look around, but they’re in a rush to get to Bompie’s. Sophie says that, while before she was scared about seeing Bompie and what meeting him would mean, now she’s just scared he won’t be alive when they arrive.
At long last, Sophie gets to communicate with her parents. Having encountered the nearly fatal wave at sea, it’s a joy to communicate with them, and to reconnect after such a long time. Hearing thatBompie is ill prompts everyone to swiftly leave Dock’s friend’s house—even if this means postponing Dock’s reunion with Rosalie.
The fact that Brian seems to be genuinely sincere when he asks whether Bompie will recognize everyone or not marks quite a transformation. It seems that Brian has started to actually worry about Sophie’s psychological well-being, and is not just trying to be mean to her or degrade her sense of imagination and aloofness, which clashes with his own sense of order and rationality.