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61 " now you’re mad ’cause I won’t stay in it. "
― Ayana Mathis , The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
62 " She squatted there so long her thighs ached and a wide puddle formed beneath her. The cool air felt nice on her backside, but she couldn’t help looking around to see if anyone was there. "
63 " Hattie clambered from the train, her skirt still hemmed with Georgia mud, the dream of Philadelphia round as a marble in her mouth and the fear of it a needle in her chest. "
64 " Bell had been disdainful of them; she’d thought them small and ordinary. She’d taken such pleasure in saying no to their proposals and breaking their hearts. Women who married men like that did nothing but shop for groceries and nearly die of boredom. But here I am dying anyway. "
65 " Hattie had been stern and angry all of Bell’s life, and it occurred to her that her mother must have been very unhappy most of the time. "
66 " My God, but you are hard to love,” Hattie "
67 " She had her nose so high in the air she could smell the birds farting. "
68 " In one of the novel’s most dramatic and revealing chapters, Hattie leaves August with the older children and escapes with baby Ruthie (then called Margaret) and her lover, Lawrence. How did this make you feel? Were you hoping she would stay with Lawrence or go back to August and the children? "
69 " How many children could a woman really love? "