Chapter 18

Birdy remembered with fondness all the good times she had spent with her mom. All through Anna’s life, it had been about survival. She had come to the United States in her early 20s and resided illegally for up to ten years, paying taxes ten years before she was even qualified for suffrage.

Like Birdy, Anna’s sojourn with men was surreal, but she endured with her husband for years to ensure that Birdy would thrive. When she refused to join her husband for his religious activity, he would beat her up until she bled from all her facial orifices, but she stayed for Birdy.

After her husband left and she took up numerous jobs, Birdy watched her battle with addictions, often crying herself to sleep. The pain she felt was unbearable.

The last time Birdy visited her mom, things had not gone really well with them. She had come with scars from Joe’s violence, some were fresh, and some were barely healed.

“What happened to you, sweetie?” Anna asked when she opened the d