English & Literature

Who is Marvella Watkins from Lost in the City: Stories and what is their importance? Lost_in_the_City English & Literature Marvella Watkins | Lost in the City: Stories

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Marvella Watkins Velle is a single mother of three children that includes two sons and a daughter. She has a full-time job and spends much of each morning riding the metro subway to take her children to school and then to go to work. The main train Marvella takes with her children is the Orange Line to Ballston, although her particular journey allows her to take a Blue Train if it arrives first as the Orange and Blue lines parallel each other along her trip. One day, Marvella's children strike up a conversation with a man who is also riding the train. The man has dreadlocks, apparently has a job with somewhat irregular hours, and is quite friendly but typically reserved. Over several weeks, Marvella and her kids see the man several times and each time her children engage him in conversation. Marvella comes to find the man attractive and begins to plan her comings and goings to maximize her chances of riding on the same line and same train as the man. She spends a lot of time thinking about the man and wondering how she can catch his eye. The man likes Marvella's children but seems oblivious to her flirting. Eventually the man's presence on the train becomes less frequent and then one day Marvella realizes that she has not seen him for many weeks.