Only a few blocks away from the party, she fears that her fixation on the woman by the dumpster would arouse suspicion. However, Jeannette quickly curtails her reminiscence out of fear that someone will notice her. From the confines of the taxi car, Walls observes the familiar mannerisms of her mother and is reminded of the woman who played with her during childhood and read her Shakespeare stories, the woman who was now rummaging through a dumpster in the East Village. Indeed, many of those walking down the street pass the woman without acknowledging her existence. Walls has not seen her mother for months and she is struck by the reality that the woman who raised her presently appears no different to passersby than any other homeless person on the city streets.
On an evening in March Jeannette Walls is riding in a taxi headed to a party when she sees her mother digging through a trashcan.
