Shuggie Bain

A crowd gathers in the cramped housing project to watch the Bains unpack. Some of the new neighbors, Birdy and Noreen Donnelly and Jinty McClinchy, introduce themselves. Agnes takes an immediate dislike to their coarse speech and manners. Shuggie tells Agnes, “We need to talk. I really do not think I can live here. It smells like cabbages and batteries. It’s simply impossible” (101). The women are incredulous; they howl with laughter and mock Shuggie, calling him Liberace. One of the women tells Agnes they will get along fine as long as Agnes keeps away from their men.

The house is smaller than promised and run-down, with ill-fitting windows and mold growing on the walls. Shug tells Agnes that he has had enough of her drinking and wanting: he is leaving. Agnes notices Shug did not bring in his suitcases. Agnes asks why she was not good enough for him; Shug asks why she did not love him enough to stop drinking. She attempts to stop him, but he knocks her to the floor, hitting her head with the door as he leaves.

Shug does not return for several days. He moves in with Joanie Micklewhite. After that, he returns sometimes late at night during his shift to have sex with Agnes before leaving again.