Stick finds the missing vehicle at a bus station in a nearby city; Tally and Cowboy refilled the tank. He learns from the bus station attendant that the pair got on a bus to Chicago; Tally left a note for her father explaining that she’s planning to marry Cowboy up north. With the rains continuing and both Hank and Tally gone, the Spruills decide to leave. Trot gives Luke the paint and brushes he’s been using to paint the house, and Luke, much to his mother’s excitement, decides to finish what Trot started.

The Chandlers and the Mexican workers continue to pick cotton as the weather permits, but the storms steadily increase in severity. Luke goes into town with his parents; while they make a phone call, he eats ice cream. Jackie Moon and Pearl ask Luke if his parents are planning to head north for work, but Luke doesn’t know. When his parents finish the call, they buy more paint so Luke can continue his work.

Luke quickly discovers that painting a house is hard work. The Mexican workers offer to help him, and with their labor, he soon uses all the paint his parents bought, which covers only the rear of the house.