Chapter 6

Father has been out of the house a lot more often than he used to be now, giving mother more time for coming up with and testing new ways to punish me. Though lately I have been sent out to mow yards more often, and if I don’t meet her quota of money need she has been locking me up in the bathroom with the bucket of chemicals and gas. But after starting school again this year something good did come of it and it was my new teacher. I think that the nurse and principal had told her about how things were at home and she treated me very well in class and sometimes after classes. I felt like I was cared for when she was around, but conditions at home became so bad that eventually even thinking of her helped.