Taylor's resolve to leave Pittman County becomes a reality when she purchases a dilapidated 1955 Volkswagen. Ironically, the troubles she has with the car dramatically affect her life. Intending to travel beyond the borders of Kentucky, her car breaks down. Later, she gives herself a new name — Taylor — when her car almost runs out of gas in Taylorville, Illinois. When her car breaks down again, this time in Oklahoma, Taylor's feelings of despair and hopelessness as she views the flat terrain foreshadow the future.
After Taylor's car is repaired, she readies herself to leave Oklahoma forever. Ironically, she ends up with a Cherokee child on the seat beside her — ironic because "If [Taylor] wanted a baby [she] would have stayed in Kentucky." Not knowing what to do with the silent child wrapped in a blanket, Taylor drives down the highway. The novel's tone becomes serious as Taylor, experiencing an internal conflict between not wanting responsibility for a baby and not knowing where else to take it, questions her actions and realizes that she is totally responsible for the child. She feels some comfort in knowing that, if she needs help, she can always call 1-800-THE LORD, Oral Roberts' telephone number that flashed on the television screen in the restaurant where Taylor stopped.
Taylor is nervous about having the child with her in the car, particularly because the child appears to be catatonic — she doesn't speak, stares straight ahead, and rarely moves. Humorously, Taylor is relieved to see a sign of life when the child wets her pants. She passes a sign for the Pioneer Woman Museum, a metaphor for her life at the moment, and then stops at the Broken Arrow Motor Lodge. The name of the motor lodge is a metaphor for the child's "brokenness," which is a result of the abuse inflicted upon her during her short life.
Taylor resolves to care for the child and to protect her from future harm. She writes on a postcard to her mother, "I found my head rights, Mama. They're coming with me." This statement signals that Taylor has found something to connect her to her Indian heritage, which ultimately enables her to learn more about herself and mature emotionally.
