How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #13
It took me a moment to realize, though, that Pushpa has long been gone. And a moment more to realize that this time, it is Anita. (167.Coughing.1)
Lakshmi is thirteen. The other girls have been thrown out of the house, taken from the house, and, still, the cycle of the brothel continues. We can predict the hopelessness of Anita's future based on what we saw happen to Pushpa—disease and homelessness.
Quote #14
"She cannot force you to do these things," he says.
This American is not so magical after all, I decide.
He doesn't know about Mumtaz's leather strap.
And the goondas.
And the chain on the door. (169.Believing.4-5)
For the first time in a long time, Lakshmi has hope of escaping her slavery. But even someone who is trying to help her, who has helped other girls, doesn't know the extent of the slavery and abuse Lakshmi has experienced. Can the people who rescue slaves ever really know what they have gone through?
Quote #15
What I am leaving behind:
the makeup and nail paint Mumtaz made me buy,
the condoms under my mattress,
everything that happened here. (171.Ready.3)
Is it going to be that easy for Lakshmi to heal from everything that happened to her at Happiness House? What lasting effects might her time as a slave have on her future?