Quote 1
"Taylor, remember that time you were mad at me because you didn't want us to act like a family? That all we needed was a little dog named Spot? Well, don't get mad, but I told somebody that you and Turtle and Dwayne Ray were my family. Somebody at work said, 'Do you have family at home?' And I said, 'Sure,' without even thinking. I meant you all. Mainly I guess because we've been through hell and high water together. We know each other's good and bad sides, stuff nobody else knows." (7.165)
Aw, poor little Lou Ann, getting self-conscious about feeling close to Taylor. How does Taylor feel about Lou Ann's declaration of familial love? Is she now more comfortable thinking of Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray as family, or is she still haunted by terrible visions of Dagwood and Blondie? How has the perception of kinship, biological or otherwise, shifted between the first Blondie reference and this next spot of Spot?
Quote 2
Lou Ann hid her mouth with her hand.
"What?" I said.
"Nothing." I could see perfectly well that she was smiling.
"Come on, what is it?"
"It's been so long," she said. "You talk just like me." (5.108-112)
Never overestimate the powers of homesickness and common language when it comes to making friends. Sometimes all it takes is a similar accent and a Bob Seger reference to make ya feel right at home.
Quote 3
On the bus she decided it must have something to do with the fact that the pamphlets were put together by men, who in her opinion liked the looks of a mother and baby better than a pregnant woman. She was fairly sure about this. On the bus, for instance, several men would stand up to offer her a seat, but they wouldn't quite look at her. The high school boys didn't make remarks under their breath or try to rub up against her when the bus made sudden stops and turns. (2.17)
Lou Ann's pregnancy throws her everyday experiences of sexism and harassment into sharp relief. Being able to "relax this way on a crowded bus" without fear of being harassed and assaulted is a whole new experience for her—one that makes her feel like "it would not be so bad to go through your life as a pregnant lady" (1.17). Okay Lou Ann, you go ahead and live a few years with morning sickness every day and cravings for olives with chocolate sauce and let us know how it goes.