Dream Things True
Page 31
Evan smiled and his heart filled.
“Utterly humiliating,” Alma said. “Every time I said ‘breast’ to a shop clerk, I felt my face turn bright red.”
Evan reached out to touch her cheek, trying to imagine her as a bewildered child, before she became this amazing, confident person. A person he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from.
“Alma,” he said quietly, “you can’t leave.”
“I have to,” she said, her voice faltering. “You know that.” She put the statue down between them and took his other hand.
“Let me marry you, Alma,” he said. “I want you to stay.” He leaned forward so their foreheads touched.
“We promised that we would stop trying to fix each other,” she whispered. “Remember?”
“I don’t want to fix you,” Evan replied, looking down at their intertwined hands. “I just want to be with you—always.”
“I want that, too—more than anything,” she said. “But always can’t start like this, not as a half-truth. And not here.” She leaned back and glanced up at the empty living room.
“It’s just, I mean.” Evan pressed his hands tightly against hers. “Oh, God, Alma. What if you leave and you can’t come back?”
“Please understand,” she said. “We can’t get married to keep me here. And Gilberton, it can’t be home for either of us, not anymore.”
“You’re right,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. “I know you’re right.” His head dropped and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Please just promise me we’ll find somewhere else.”
“I promise,” she said quietly, lifting his chin so that he would meet her gaze.
“OK, then,” he said, opening his eyes to look at her. He stood up and watched Alma take the strange little statue back into her hand, and then he pulled her to her feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
Acknowledgments
I always thought of myself as a practical person. That changed on the morning I sat down to start writing—of all things!—a novel. Believe me, I had plenty of other activities to fill my time. And every single one of them was more sensible. But, here I am, publishing a novel. Let this serve as just another reminder of how crazy-unpredictable life can be. It’s quite a ride.
I’ll start by thanking those who gave me the courage to do such a wildly impractical thing: Lee Taylor, my first reader. She is the least judgmental person I know, and she also happens to be a kick-ass sister. Elizabeth Friedmann, my extraordinary mom, and my first and best writing instructor. She’ll never know how my heart soared when she first told me she loved this story. Carroll Ann Friedmann, who currently is my sister, but who just might become my guru someday. Her life is a beautiful example of how we thrive when we embrace the unpredictable. Mayra Cuevas, my critique partner. I’m not sure how it happened that we were born across an ocean from each other, because I’m quite certain she was meant to be my sister. (Clearly, cosmic error.) Without Mayra, Alma and Evan would still live in a tiny world filled with exclamation points, and this book would be gathering virtual dust in a virtual folder somewhere deep in the bowels of my laptop.
And now to the people who made my own teen years so vividly memorable that I have an endless well of experience from which to draw: Emily Arthur, who continues to bring extraordinary beauty into my life; Jamie Brigman, whose 18 Songs from JRB—inexplicably—gave me this story; Cheryl Hall; Trey Tune; Holly Smith; Laura Kachergus; and Trip Nesbitt, my oldest friend. I love you all so very much.
For all the ways they made this novel better, I want to thank the talented Jita Fumich, Katie Beno-Valencia, Veronica León, Juan Ramirez (for extensive knowledge of machetes), Araceli Martinez (for great stories and cherished friendship), Karol Ramos, and Erin Harris, who so gracefully took me on. And, while on the topic of grace, I’m just going to go ahead and say that my editor, Laura Chasen, is one of the most gracious and generous people ever to come into my unpredictable life. Having edited my work, Laura knows that I am a woman of many words. Yet, I find no words to express my gratitude to her for believing in this project and for shepherding me so gently through the process.
Most importantly, I want to thank Lorena, Lalo, Yehimi, Carlos, Loreli, Felipe, and every single DREAMer whose story I have ever had the honor to hear. My love and respect for them is what pulled me out of bed before dawn every morning to write this story. They have inspired me, again and again and again, and I am awed by their courage and tenacity. It is my most fervent hope that, after reading this book, more people will seek out their remarkable stories.
To Mary Elizabeth, Nate, Pixley, and Annie: Thank you for showing me every day how to love this wild ride that we call life. For more than half of the ride, I have been strapped in next to Chris Marquardt, a poet, a dreamer, and a just plain beautiful man. If I know anything about what it means to love and be loved, if I can say anything real about love’s extraordinary power to overcome, it is because we taught these things to each other. Pura Vida.
Dream Things True
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think the book is called Dream Things True? What role do dreams play in Alma’s life? What are Evan’s dreams?
2. How does Alma first learn that she is undocumented, and how does she react? What do you think of Evan’s reaction when she tells him this secret?
3. Alma has lived almost her entire life in Gilberton. It’s the only home she knows, but she also feels like she will never belong. Why do you think that is?
4. In the early part of the book, Evan witnesses discrimination against immigrants in his town, and he doesn’t know how to respond. What do you think keeps him from confronting this? What would you do?
5. When Alma returns to the first place that she lived in Gilberton, why is it so hard for her? How does she feel about the bilingual welcome signs at her former elementary school?
6. How did it make you feel to read that “everyone just knows” about Conway’s pattern of sexual assault? Do you think it’s realistic that people would know about this and not do anything to stop it?
7. In the end, Alma refuses to be the “model immigrant.” She imagines asking an audience, “Have I earned it now?” Why do you think she imagines asking this question?
8. Why does Alma lie to Evan at the end of part two and tell him that she doesn’t love him?
9. Do you agree with Alma (and, eventually, Evan) that Whit deserved a second chance, even after he had made so many terrible mistakes?
10. What do you think of Evan’s relationship with his uncle, Senator Prentiss? What about Whit’s relationship with his father?
11. What do Evan and Manny share in common? Do you think they could be friends?
12. Towards the end of the book, Evan concludes that “If [he] had learned anything over the past few months, it was that doing the right thing isn’t always as simple as it seems.” What do you think he means? He’s talking about Whit’s actions here, but who else might he be thinking about?
About the Author
MARIE MARQUARDT is a scholar-in-residence at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and the lead author of Living “Illegal”: The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration. She is widely published in the areas of religion, interethnic relations, and civic participation of Mexican immigrants in the American South. Marie has worked for many years as an advocate among immigrants in Georgia. She currently serves as cochair of El Refugio, which serves immigrants detained at the Stewart Detention Center with visitation and hospitality programs. Marie lives with her husband and four children in a very busy household in Decatur, Georgia. Dream Things True is her first young adult novel. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Part I
1. Machete Moments
2. Drive
3. Night Swimming
4. Trouble
5. Dream in the Desert
6. Delete
7. Red Elephant
8. Fire Alarm
9. Addictions
10. Snow White
11. Goal!
12. Too Sweet
Part II
13. Lovefool
14. The Clock Is Wrong
15. Hometown
16. Satellite
17. Sins of the Father
18. Terrora Dam
19. St. Jude, Plead for Us
20. Voluntary Removal
21. Fishing Without a License
22. Crossroads
Part III
23. Flowering Cactus
24. Sweet Georgia Rain
25. Sabotage
26. Broken Parts
27. Home
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DREAM THINGS TRUE. Copyright © 2015 by Marie Marquardt. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs: couple © Eric Audras / Getty Images; landscape © Rodionov Oleg / Shutterstock; pattern © moopsi / Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-07045-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-8024-5 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466880245
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, ext. 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First Edition: September 2015