How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"I didn't send for you. Didn't want you in the first place. Should have gone to Mexico to get rid of you when I had the chance." (4.21)
Oh, snap. Cecile isn't warm and fuzzy to the girls (or anybody for that matter). Just in case they had any doubts about her feelings toward them, she makes it crystal clear: She doesn't want them or care about spending time with them. Hearing that makes Delphine feel abandoned all over again.
Quote #5
As many times as Big Ma said it, I never fully believed it. That no one, not even Cecile, needed to have their way so badly or was so selfish. That she could leave Pa, Vonetta, Fern, and me over something as small and silly as a name. That Cecile left because Pa wouldn't let her pick out Fern's name. (8.34)
We feel for Delphine when she discovers that Big Ma was right about Cecile—sort of. All along, Delphine had been hoping her mom had a good reason for leaving the girls. It turns out, she didn't. Sure, she went to find herself and express her true self through her poetry, but that just isn't good enough for Delphine.
Quote #6
"Who you gonna tell? Cecile? She don't care about a blue teacup. Big Ma? Papa? They're miles and miles away, and we don't have enough dimes. Who you gonna tell?" (14.48)
The girls realize that Cecile doesn't care about what they get up to during the day—as long as they stay out of her way, Cecile is happy. The funny thing is, the girls are actually visiting to spend time with their mom. Go figure, right?