Chapter 5 Summary

The Republic Hotel, where Taylor and Turtle have taken up residence, is located close to the railroad tracks where the train whistle blows at 6:15 am each day. Taylor learns to incorporate the sound into her sleep cycle and plays games with the whistle to see if she can waken before it sounds. Taylor's financial situation is precarious. She only worked six days at the Burger Derby before fighting with the manager and quitting. The fight, which precipitated the loss of the job, had to do with the uniform and the fact that it had to be dry-cleaned. Taylor believes that for the small amount of pay she receives, she should not have to pay to dry clean her uniform. Taylor mainly regrets not seeing Sandi very often and having to find a new place to eat breakfast after walking off the job.

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