As in the old Charles Atlas ads, the 97-pound weakling eventually gets tired of having sand kicked in his face, heads off to the gym and becomes just as muscled as the bully.

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Asleep like that, unguarded, her head leaning heavily to one side, she looked old and tired, but at least the worry that usually haunted her face was gone, and, as I stood watching her, it struck me that she was dreaming.

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Thalia's classmate, Sarye, says her mother was willing to face the dangers of a desert crossing because she was tired of working 12-hour days at a restaurant in Mexico City.

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