It came time to learn on Monday. I hated learning more than I hated Fish or the Vagrants. My father said I would not have to wear a hat if I learned. I said I would rather wear a mask if it meant I didn't have to learn. He crushed my cheeks when Isaid that and threw my face against the wall. My mother came in from the patio and put me in her hands. My father said he didn't mean to break me, but I still had to learn. He said I should never say that about a mask.

The reason is that my father had to wear a mask on Thursday, and that meant he could not sleep or eat. No one knows my father while he wears his mask. He said it is the only way to keep my brother sleeping, and I should be so lucky that I get to learn. I still hated to learn.