How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Then our solitary status ended, as a result of a downpour. When the rain came that day, the other gardeners all ran in the same direction, as if in a fire drill. We followed and found them sheltered beneath a shoe store's overhang two doors down, apparently their customary refuge. The small dry space forced us together. In fifteen minutes we'd met them all and soon knew the whole band of regulars. (10.7)
Nora and Mr. Myles have been fending for themselves in the garden. But with a little help from the weather, they've now got a new group of chums. Looks like people aren't just moseying into the community garden these days—now there are "regulars" there all the time, and Nora and Mr. Myles get to be part of this group. Who knew rain could bring people together so much?
Quote #8
Yet we were all subject to the same weather and pests, the same neighborhood, and the same parental emotions toward our plants. If we happened to miss two or three days, people stopped by on our return to ask about Mr. Myles' health. We, like our seeds, were now planted in the garden. (10.8)
For Nora and Mr. Myles, the community garden isn't just a place to make a ton of new friends. It's also a place where they can settle down and grow along with their plants. We're pretty intrigued by Nora's comparison of people and plants here. What do you think of her simile? How are the people in the garden "planted" like the seeds?
Quote #9
Those conversations tied us together. In the middle of summer someone dumped a load of tires on the garden at night, as if it were still filled with trash. A man's four rows of young corn were crushed. In an hour, we had all the tires by the curb. We were used to helping each other by then. A few weeks later, early in the evening, a woman screamed, down the block from the garden. A man with a knife had taken her purse. Three men from the garden ran after him. I was surprised that I was one of them. […] I asked the others. Not one of us had ever chased a criminal before. And most likely we wouldn't have except near the garden. There, you felt part of a community. (11.4)
If you're looking for a heartwarming story about the community garden coming together, Amir is here to deliver. It may have taken a long time, but eventually all the different people in the garden start to get along. And not just that. Now they're going out of their way to help each other out. Did you notice that the guys from the garden help out a total stranger? That garden has definitely built up a strong community bond.