The mother heard and lifted her head. A mist covered her eyes, and her lids were puffed as though she were crying without tears. "Yes, nuh," she whispered, "take it all out my sight, do! Over nine ... hundred odd dollars ... cash throw ...'way..." While she kept without tears, without even a tremor, Selina gathered up the wreckage of the day. (114)

Selina smiled despite her profound puzzlement, and across from her mother hid her own helpless smile by raising the cup to her lips. Deighton strolled back to her chair and placed his fingers on her neck and said with a said smile, "And yuh mother had skin like none I ever touch. It was always cool to yuh hand no matter how hot the day. Come," he said tenderly, "lets go to New York and get yuh money." (100)

Selina, standing shattered in the doorway, watched those hands, and the night at the factory rushed back, vivid, as though a year had not passed. That night was part of this cold windy day, just as this day had been contained in that night, and they would both reach with long arms into every day to come... (93)

"I tried to tell you," she said, aching with each word. "I tried to tell you she was gonna do something. Remember the day you were telling me about the house home? I tried then. I tried to tell everybody that day but nobody listened..." (95)

Before they could answer, the mother had turned from the sink and said, her voice sharp with reproof yet strangely protective, "But where you going and you only half-studied that course? How you can be putting yourself up in these white people face asking for some big job and yuh's not even a citizen?" (68)