Summary

This chapter opens with a visit to Terence at the Cook County Jail. It is a 54-acre complex that is overcrowded, and so it releases 25,000 prisoners a year, because it doesn't have room for them. The prisoners are housed in various divisions based on the amount of their bonds. Terence is assigned to the low-to-medium bond division. They are separated from him by glass in which is inserted a circular metal grate through which they must speak. There had once been telephones, but these had been broken and then removed by temperamental inmates. As a result, they have to talk through the grate and put their ears against it to hear. With all the other visitors talking, too, carrying on a conversation is almost impossible.

At first, they are all overjoyed to see each other, but as that wears off, Terence becomes tense. He pounds the table in front of him, and he just keeps saying, I want outta here. He continues to profess his innocence, which makes LaJoe believe him, because only once before when he got into trouble had he said he didn't do it and that proved to be true. Eventually, he calms down enough to tell Lafeyette to stay in school and not be like him. Finally, a guard comes in and tells Terence it's time to go. As LaJoe and the children walk out of Cook County Jail, Tiffanie grabs her mother's coat and asks, How does Terence get out from behind that glass? Lafeyette cuffs her on the back of the head and tells her just to shut up.

After the visit to the jail, Lafeyette badgers his mother constantly about when Terence will get out. Pharoah is especially upset that his brother might be serving time for something he didn't do. He has a strong sense of justice and righteousness. He is almost incapable of telling a lie and even raises his hand to tell on himself in school. Two years before, Terence had been arrested for shooting a girl named Maggie Atlas. She had actually been shot by her boyfriend, a gang member, and he made her implicate Terence so he could escape. The boy had since been killed, so she finally came forward and told the truth. It was a harrowing experience for the family who knew that Terence didn't have it in him to shoot a girl. The incident had so unsettled Pharoah that he cried whenever he recounted it. Now, here is his brother in trouble again for something he may not have done.

Notes

This chapter reinforces the idea that the younger children are beginning to learn the truth about the justice system: frequently, poor people of color are imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit and don't have the resources to help themselves. It beats down their family members as well, who must often stand by and hope for a miracle to exonerate the ones they love.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Summary

It is the day of Pharoah's spelling bee. Rickey, who could have cheered him on, is spending the period in the principal's office, because he is known to have disrupted school proceedings before. Pharoah has prepared diligently for the competition. He wants badly to win, but he knows he must control his stammer before that can happen. So he establishes a routine for himself. He first sounds out the word in his head, pauses a moment to remind himself to take his time, and then spells the word aloud, drawing out each letter slowly and deliberately so he won't stutter. On the day of the contest, he is much more nervous than anyone knows. He is so focused on controlling his speech that the first few words are a blur. Student after student walks off the stage in defeat, and Pharoah realizes he is getting closer and closer to winning. However, when the contestants are whittled down to five, his nerves catch up to him. He is given the word endurance, which he knows how to spell well. However, after the fourth letter comes out of his mouth, his throat tightens up and he can say nothing. The buzzer sounds and he walks off the stage. LaJoe comforts him when it's over, saying he did a good job, and how proud she is of him. She knows he tried his hardest, but for Pharoah, it isn't good enough. He promises her he'll do better next year, and Pharoah is not one to break his word.

Notes

This chapter is especially poignant, because Pharoah's stutter is the result of living daily with violence and poverty. It does him in for this competition, but any other child of the inner city may have fallen even deeper into an attitude of failure. Not Pharoah. He is determined that he will do better next year, and he never breaks his promises. As a result, he is symbolic here of the concept that hope springs eternal.