And our house would have running water and and a bathtub and pipes that worked.
And inside it would have real stairs, like the houses on TV. And we'd have a basement and at least three washrooms so when we wanted to bathe we wouldn't have to tell everybody. Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence. This was the house Papa talked about when he dreamed of being rich and this was the house Mama dreamed up in the stories she told us before we went to bed. But the house on Mango Street is not the way they described it at all. It's small and red with narrow steps in front and windows so small that you'd think they were holding their breath. There is no front yard, only four little trees the city planted on the side of the street. Out back is a small garage for the car we don't even own yet