Quote 16
They both wore clean work shirts, light blue with faded elbows. Esperanza had on a worn denim skirt and flat loafers. I had asked them please not to wear their very best for this occasion, not their Immigration-fooling clothes. It had to look like Turtle was going to be better off with me. When they came out that morning dressed as refugees I had wanted to cry out, No! I was wrong. Don't sacrifice your pride for me. But this is how badly they wanted to make it work. (16.37)
It's a testament to Estevan and Esperanza's friendship that they're happy to do whatever they can to help Taylor keep Turtle, even if it means sacrificing their own dignity. Seriously, Shmoopers: where else do people try so hard to do right by one another?
Quote 17
We had worked things out: I cooked on weekends, and also on any week night that Lou Ann had kept Turtle. It would be a kind of payment. And she would do the vacuuming, because she liked to, and I would wash dishes because I didn't mind them. [...] Before, it had seemed picayune to get all bent out of shape organizing the household chores. Now I was beginning to see the point. (7.73)
Although Taylor insists that she and Lou Ann can't fall into the habit of acting like husband and wife, the two of them do eventually settle into a comfortable routine. Together, they build a sense of "home" that feels richer than the one Lou Ann shared with Angel. Even if picayune sounds more like the kinds of chilies Lou Ann ends up canning than the triviality of chores.
Quote 18
I couldn't really listen. I looked through the bones to the garden on the other side. There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spikes as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn't imagine how she'd made a home in there. (8.150)
After a visit to the doctor reveals the extent of Turtle's past physical injuries, Taylor is struck with a deep sense of sorrow. In this moment, the bird whose nest is in the cactus takes on symbolic significance, as Taylor can't imagine how Turtle survived the abusive home life she once endured. To say the least, it isn't just for the birds.