How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
You know you're my only brother in the whole world, right? she said. And who's your only sister?
You. They'd been through this before.
And even if I'm not around, you know how much I love you, right? (12.32-34)
It's pretty tough for Wendy to help Louie understand that she's going away for a while but will still be his sister and still be in his life. After all, he's just lost his mother—that's a lot of change for a little guy to take in.
Quote #8
We had different ideas about a lot of things, he said. She was more the type to want to settle down and make a home. I never believed in traditional family structures. It always seemed to me like most people's problems start with their parents. I wanted things to be a little looser, hands-off. Like the whole world was your home, instead of just one place. (13.28)
Garrett and Janet split because they had such different ideas on how to raise a family and how to create a home for Wendy. In the end, Garrett left them because he didn't know how to provide the stability that Janet needed. It was too hard for him.
Quote #9
Sometime back, more than a year maybe, her mother brought up the idea of Josh formally adopting her. We haven't seen Garrett in a couple of years, she said to Josh. Just one crummy visit from his mother that time, to eat cucumber sandwiches and find out if I've made plans yet for Wendy's coming-out party. (19.107)
Although Garrett hasn't visited Wendy in years, she still bristles when her mother talks about Josh formally adopting her. She feels like her mom is trying to erase her biological dad from her life and create this happy little story where their family has always consisted of Janet, Josh, Wendy, and Louie.