Their Eyes Were Watching God: Novel Summary: Chapter 11

Tea Cake visits Janie again one week after his initial visit in Chapter Ten. As before, Janie and Tea Cake play checkers until closing time. Afterwards, they go fishing in the middle of the night, making Janie feel like "a child breaking rules" (98). When he visits the following night, Tea Cake - in stark contrast to Joe - combs Janie's hair and tells her how beautiful it is. Tea Cake proclaims his interest in Janie, which makes her immediately defensive; Janie worries that Tea Cake has many women, that she is twelve years older than he, that it is just Tea Cake's nighttime lust talking. Tea Cake, hurt by Janie's doubt of his proclamations, leaves. Two mornings later, however, Tea Cake arrives early, figuring "Ah'd try tuh git heah soon enough tuh tell yuh mah daytime thoughts" (102). The two spend that night together, propelling their new relationship into full swing.