Answer:
I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I could point to. But this isn’t it. The house on Mango Street isn’t it. For the time being, Mama says. Temporary, says Papa. But I know how those things go.
“The cough is a mere nothing. It will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough” this part of the passage is very ironic because he really won’t die of a cough but he is explaining the cough to be nothing for him to be worried about
Does it use the words "like" or "as". The two possible answers are metaphor or simile