blackboard.
Because of his size, Pharoah was often picked on by the other children. Once, in the middle of a test, a girl sitting next to him hit him on the neck with a spitball. Pharoah screeched, and then, to the delight of his classmates, hollered, “Old girl be hitting me! Old girl stop it.” Everyone in the class broke out in laughter. Pharoah was always referring to others as “old girl” and “old boy,” even the adults, and it never failed, though he couldn’t fathom why, to tickle everyone who heard him.
Pharoah often asked Ms. Barone to let him help collect papers in the class or to run errands to the principal’s office, anything that might give him some responsibility. He was earnest about everything, from talking to his neighbors to finishing his schoolwork.
But Pharoah most endeared himself to his teacher and his classmates by his imagination and writing. He loved words. He’d remember names of places like Ontonagon River and Agate Falls because he liked the way they sounded. When he could, he’d play Scrabble with friends, spelling out words like
motel
and
quake
. He was so proficient at spelling that later in the year, Ms. Barone would choose him to compete in the annual spelling bee, one of the school’s biggest honors.
The class was once asked to write an essay entitled “My Pet Monster,” and Pharoah’s composition won him classroom raves. He wrote about a monster who, like himself, had an uncontrollable sweet tooth. Pharoah knew that candy and cakes and soda pop were bad for him, but he couldn’t help himself. Sometimes his face would break out. If he couldn’t stop, at least he could laugh at himself—and that’s what he did in his essay. Ms. Barone asked Pharoah to read it to the class. He stuttered only occasionally, racing through parts of it, thinking that if he did so he wouldn’t trip over any words. It also helped that he was reading and didn’t have to think about what he was going to say.
Once I had a pet and his name was “My Pet Monster” and he loved sugar milk more than any other thing. He always was getting into trouble, and every time he get into trouble I’ll lock him up with some hand cups and then he’ll try to con me to let him out but I wouldn’t until a certain time.
One day the stores had closed down for a week. Then “My Pet Monster” found out the stores were closed down and started thinking, he started thinking about his sugar milk. He started running around everywhere to find out if a store was open in the town. He found out there was no store open in the town. “My Pet Monster” was unhappy and he didn’t talk to nobody. That’s how unhappy he was.
The week passed and the stores were now open and “My Pet Monster” was the first to enter the store. He got two gallons of milk and two quarts of sugar, and “My Pet Monster” said “the only reason I got two of each so if the stores closed I will have an extra gallon and wouldn’t have to worry.”
The kids laughed uproariously at the tale, and Ms. Barone brought it home that evening to read to her husband. She thentacked it to one of the bulletin boards, where all the students and passing teachers could see it. It was a treasured moment for Pharoah, who had often been teased about his studiousness. Some students called him a nerd; others made fun of his buck teeth. The taunting upset Pharoah—and he knew he wouldn’t always be able to deflect it with humorous stories. Early that school year, though, he found a friend who helped keep his tormentors at bay.
Eight
PHAROAH FIRST MET RICKEY at school, where they were classmates. Rickey asked Pharoah for a favor. Rickey had developed a crush on Pharoah’s cousin Dede. “Pharoah,” he said one day at school, “ask Dede if she’d go out with me.” Pharoah giggled, delighted to be entrusted with such a task. When he delivered the message to Dede, she told him, “No way.”
“Ask her again,” Rickey implored. Pharoah did, and
Because of his size, Pharoah was often picked on by the other children. Once, in the middle of a test, a girl sitting next to him hit him on the neck with a spitball. Pharoah screeched, and then, to the delight of his classmates, hollered, “Old girl be hitting me! Old girl stop it.” Everyone in the class broke out in laughter. Pharoah was always referring to others as “old girl” and “old boy,” even the adults, and it never failed, though he couldn’t fathom why, to tickle everyone who heard him.
Pharoah often asked Ms. Barone to let him help collect papers in the class or to run errands to the principal’s office, anything that might give him some responsibility. He was earnest about everything, from talking to his neighbors to finishing his schoolwork.
But Pharoah most endeared himself to his teacher and his classmates by his imagination and writing. He loved words. He’d remember names of places like Ontonagon River and Agate Falls because he liked the way they sounded. When he could, he’d play Scrabble with friends, spelling out words like
motel
and
quake
. He was so proficient at spelling that later in the year, Ms. Barone would choose him to compete in the annual spelling bee, one of the school’s biggest honors.
The class was once asked to write an essay entitled “My Pet Monster,” and Pharoah’s composition won him classroom raves. He wrote about a monster who, like himself, had an uncontrollable sweet tooth. Pharoah knew that candy and cakes and soda pop were bad for him, but he couldn’t help himself. Sometimes his face would break out. If he couldn’t stop, at least he could laugh at himself—and that’s what he did in his essay. Ms. Barone asked Pharoah to read it to the class. He stuttered only occasionally, racing through parts of it, thinking that if he did so he wouldn’t trip over any words. It also helped that he was reading and didn’t have to think about what he was going to say.
Once I had a pet and his name was “My Pet Monster” and he loved sugar milk more than any other thing. He always was getting into trouble, and every time he get into trouble I’ll lock him up with some hand cups and then he’ll try to con me to let him out but I wouldn’t until a certain time.
One day the stores had closed down for a week. Then “My Pet Monster” found out the stores were closed down and started thinking, he started thinking about his sugar milk. He started running around everywhere to find out if a store was open in the town. He found out there was no store open in the town. “My Pet Monster” was unhappy and he didn’t talk to nobody. That’s how unhappy he was.
The week passed and the stores were now open and “My Pet Monster” was the first to enter the store. He got two gallons of milk and two quarts of sugar, and “My Pet Monster” said “the only reason I got two of each so if the stores closed I will have an extra gallon and wouldn’t have to worry.”
The kids laughed uproariously at the tale, and Ms. Barone brought it home that evening to read to her husband. She thentacked it to one of the bulletin boards, where all the students and passing teachers could see it. It was a treasured moment for Pharoah, who had often been teased about his studiousness. Some students called him a nerd; others made fun of his buck teeth. The taunting upset Pharoah—and he knew he wouldn’t always be able to deflect it with humorous stories. Early that school year, though, he found a friend who helped keep his tormentors at bay.
Eight
PHAROAH FIRST MET RICKEY at school, where they were classmates. Rickey asked Pharoah for a favor. Rickey had developed a crush on Pharoah’s cousin Dede. “Pharoah,” he said one day at school, “ask Dede if she’d go out with me.” Pharoah giggled, delighted to be entrusted with such a task. When he delivered the message to Dede, she told him, “No way.”
“Ask her again,” Rickey implored. Pharoah did, and
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