Howard sits on the running board of the Ford Model T touring car. His dad has just told him that Noah and Delphine, not Dr. Hutchings and Tilly, are his grandparents. His dad isn't sure how Howard is going to take finding out that he has African ancestry—but Howard is immediately proud. Phew. The first thing he thinks of is how one day, he'll tell a child of his own about Delphine. Having just immersed himself in the past through Tilly's story, Howard looks to the future, which shows us how connected the two have become in his mind.
Have you checked out the "What's Up With the Title?" section yet? Because now would totally be a good time to do that. Let's just say that just as the river unites more than it divides, as the book ends, the past and the future come together, too.