How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
When I walk past my mom's room, I miss her.
I walk to my room, put Feather in her crib, which pisses her off and makes her scream, and then I look around my room and miss me. (9.32-33)
Bobby misses his mom because she travels, but he's also missing the relationship they used to have. Feather's entrance into his life causes Bobby to be nostalgic about his past, for how things used to be, for how he used to be. Have the changes caused him to regret his actions, or is he just having a tough time dealing?
Quote #5
So when she says, "Boy, you look old and tired," I sit on the floor like I used to and think about how easy it was when me and Paco thought the carpet needed spots. She puts Feather in my arms and leans down close to me, braids clicking with beads, and says, "But it'll change for sure. I know it will. I just know." (11.47)
Feather's babysitter is the same one Bobby used to go to, and Jackie has been a caregiver for more than thirty years. Bobby should trust her expertise that his life will get better, but he's in the middle of the newborn phase, which is exhausting and never-ending. On the flip side, a lot has changed since Bobby was Jackie's charge, so maybe there's hope for Bobby yet.
Quote #6
Nothing's changed and everything has. Whoever K-Boy called out to is doing the same ole same ole. I hear J.L. up, complaining about what's for breakfast. But Nia is talking about going. And even if she's not going, she's talking about it all being different. (18.38)
It's pretty clear to us that Bobby wants things to stay just how they were with Nia and his friends, but he's starting to realize that they can't when Nia says she might move away. Even though the day-to-day goings on haven't really been affected yet, Bobby knows that life changes are imminent, and it's a hard pill for him to swallow.