Living on the Street: Quotes from ‘The Bridge Home’ that will Leave you Teary-Eyed

“As I gazed at Amma’s trembling chin, I realized how different we were. Amma trusted that if she put up with things, she’d be rewarded with another, better life after she died. It made no sense to me why any God who made us suffer in this life would start caring for us in the next.”

“It was beginning to get dark, but I could make out a boy marching up the bridge. He reminded me of a sunflower. Matted hair that looked like it had never met a comb stuck out like petals around a face that seemed much too large for his skinny body. he wore an oversize yellow T-shirt and a raggedy pair of shorts and held a bag and a wooden stick.”

“A strangely familiar scent rose from the floor. After all those days of having my nose filled with the scents of rubbish, it took me time to recognize the burning scent of the acrid liquid Amma used to clean our bathroom every once in a while.”

“I was glad you’d fallen asleep, but I stayed awake, worrying and hoping. I hoped Amma would finally tell someone about how she had been hurt, and that they’d swoop down and rescue us. But I should have known she’d never tell.”

“I glanced down at my skirt. I’d tried so hard to scrub off the stains that I’d torn a hole right through it. Beneath the hem, my toenails peeped out, edged with dirt.”