One Whole and Perfect Day Chapter 23 Summary

Chiko Rolls

  • Stan has a craving for a chiko roll, a traditional Australian meal that's kind of like an egg roll with chicken in it. Unfortunately, the only place that serves anything resembling it in his old neighborhood is a Chinese restaurant.
  • He orders something called a spring roll and thinks it tastes weird. As a result, Imaginary Lily's accusations of racism begin flaring up in his mind again.
  • As he eats the spring roll, he sees a Chinese woman petting a cat in front of a sweetshop.
  • Stan starts laughing at a memory of his friend Jimmy, who was also Chinese, and a joke Stan and the other boys had about Chinese people eating cats.
  • Without meaning to, he says, "Watch out, puss" out loud, and the woman hears him and is obviously really mad. Stan runs away and gets a cramp from taking off so fast.
  • Meanwhile, Rose is really upset. Why? Because she's the Chinese woman petting the cat. This certainly explains a lot—like why Charlie was upset about Clara kissing an Australian.
  • Rose finds Stan and gives him a piece of her mind. Apparently, she's gotten a lot bolder after walking out on Charlie during the news.
  • Stan apologizes, and they begin talking about being from the same neighborhood, although separated by many years.
  • Rose tells Stan about Clara and starts crying. The name catches Stan by surprise—he remembers May saying something about Lonnie having a girlfriend named Clara, but knows it couldn't possibly be the same person.
  • Stan tells Rose that she shouldn't feel cagey about wanting to see her daughter's room; she has a right to as her mother.
  • The two of them leave that afternoon feeling like they've made friends in spite of the pretty strange way they met.