Quote 22
It was the second day of the new year. I had stayed on at the Broken Arrow through most of the holidays, earning some money changing beds. The older woman with the shakes, whose name was Mrs. Hoge, was determined I should stay awhile. She said they could use the extra help during the Christmas season, especially since her daughter-in-law's ankles were giving her trouble. (3.2)
Taylor has a rare ability to make friends wherever she goes, and to find herself welcomed into self-contained communities of families and friends. What is it about her that makes this kind of openness and acceptance possible? And what's up with the daughter-in-law's ankles?
Quote 23
"You must have grandbabies around," I said.
"Mmm-hmmm. Something like that." She handed the cup back to Turtle and she sucked on it hard, making a noise like a pond frog. I wondered what, exactly, could be "something like" grandbabies. (3.79-80)
Taylor later comes to learn that the "something like" grandbabies are the refugee children who pass through Mattie's safe-house, leaving lots of colorful pictures behind. For Mattie, these children and their families aren't just "something like" family: they're also part of a global community of human beings, whom she feels it's her responsibility to care for and protect. Which makes Mattie's view of community one of the most expansive and generous around.
Quote 24
Pittman was twenty years behind the nation in practically every way you can think of, except the rate of teenage pregnancies. For instance, we were the last place in the country to get the dial system. Up until 1973 you just picked up the receiver and said, Marge, get me my Uncle Roscoe, or whoever. The telephone office was on the third floor of the Courthouse, and the operators could see everything around Main Street square including the bank, the drugstore, and Dr. Finchler's office. She would tell you if his car was there or not. (3.104)
Compared to Pittman County, Tucson feels like a foreign, futuristic world to Taylor. And, whereas everyone in Pittman County knows everyone else, and everyone else's business besides, in Tucson, "it was clear that there was nobody overlooking us all. We would just have to find our own way" (3.104). In the absence of the kind of ready-made community that small towns can provide, Taylor is going to have to make connections in Tucson all on her own.