Hope Was Here Chapter 21 Summary

  • Crowds pour in to the Gospel of Grace Evangelical Center to pay their last respects to G.T.
  • As Hope stands beside his casket, she realizes that she had spent her entire life preparing to be a daughter for G.T.
  • Hope begins to heal over the next few weeks, but sometimes certain sights or thoughts bring her to tears while working in the diner. She's able to pull herself together by thinking about something Mrs. Pettibone told her after G.T.'s funeral: that she's got her father's eyes.
  • While Hope, Braverman, Adam, and Jillian pack their bags for college, the people of Mulhoney pack the diner and share stories about how much G.T. meant to them.
  • Hope finds the perfect spot for saying goodbye to the diner: under the counter, right above the honey jar.
  • She pulls out her blue pen and writes HOPE WAS HERE just as she's done so many times before.
  • This time, however, the words look different to her; she knows she'll be coming back to the one place that is really a home.
  • She views having a true father for less than two years the same way, like having a good, nourishing meal after a lifetime of eating junk food. It stays with you forever.