February 22, 2013
8-8:20
Water for Elephants
Pages: 265-275

Uncle al talks to Jacob and tries to get him to get Marlena and August back together because the circus needs them together and happy so that they can function. Jacob is shocked and appalled because August hit her and uncle al explains that it's because August is a paranoid schizophrenic but he still wants Jacob to put them back together. Jacob is about to leave and even willin to quit but uncle al threatens to red light Walter and Camel because he knows about Camel somehow.
Uncle al explains how they're a family and sometimes an individual has to make a sacrifice for the good of the others. Jacob is so mad but says he understands and goes to the menagerie to cut Rosie's nails. While he's doing this, August comes in and acts like it was nothing and wants to be friends again. Jacob continues with his work even though August asked him where Marlena was and when he doesn't get a response he threatens to go to every hotel until he finds her and then he flicks his cigarette into Rosie's mouth and leaves. Jacob is freaking out because Marlena is in the second hotel and he goes to check on her as soon as he can escape undetected. He goes to the hotel and demands to see Marlena even though the clerk, a new one, says she is not there and threatens to call the police and acts as though Jacob has been there before. Jacob pays him no mind and goes up the stairs and bangs on the door and the clerk grabs a hold of him but Marlena comes out an tells the clerk that he is he friend. It turns out August was there before and Marlena explained to the clerk about the situation and he told August that she wasn't there and he believed him. The clerk was confused because he thought they looked similar. He goes into her room and they begin to talk. She tells him how she realized August was schizophrenic 3 weeks after they got married and called her parents to come back home but her dad said she was dead to him the day she eloped. She tells him stories of August having a guy help him feed the lions and the lion ate his arm and the guy died of blood loss. And he gave her the horses because the previous owner, a woman, jumped off the train after joining August for an evening in his stateroom. She begs him to stay with her and after persisting he gives in and stays and they do bad things. She tells him of her grief and how horrible the past was and how he changed everything. When she's done he talks about his past then they sleep then they do gross things again. Marlena realizes the time and jumps up to get ready for her performance. He tells her he loves her and she says he loves her too but she's married and he says they can fix that and they will have to run away but not until Providence because of Camel and the whole red lighting business. She says its only talk but he tells her that its happened before and she is shocked. Apparently Camel was supposed to be among one of the 12 men who were red lighted that one night.

I'm shocked at what they did together because I think it's only for after you're married and want children. I think it's wrong because Marlena is married and these two really need to keep their desires under control. However it's really sad that Marlena has had to deal with August for 4 years and I think her family needs to get over this. Yea she messed up but she's still their family and they should love her no matter what. Families are supposed to help each other and forgive not be mean and cut each other off.

I read well because the book got interesting but then it got weird so it went from well to not so well.