Chapter 20:  Robby

Hi it’s me Robby and I just got to look at the moon! I mean I’ve seen it before but not up close like that through a scope! Wow! Grandpa always said the moon was made of cheese but I know he was teasing me. It is much too big to be made out of cheese and anyway how would they get it out there in space? Ha! I hate cheese anyway.

It was fun and a little bit scary to be outside up on a mountain when it was getting dark but then they made us come in when it got really dark. Ms. Janice made us hurry up to get inside. I think she is a big scaredy baby. That’s because she’s a girl and girls are big scaredy babies but I’m not.

We came inside and we didn’t have to do another Group because Mr. Bryan said looking at the moon and talking about it was our Group. Cool. Then he said we could have thirty minutes of Free Time to play board games or watch TV. I asked Mr. Bryan if I could write my mom a letter and he said “That’s a wonderful idea, Robby.” I have wonderful ideas a lot.

I don’t know where my mom is right now but Mrs. Cortes said if I write my mom she will make sure my mom gets it. I used to write Grandpa letters sometimes when I didn’t live with him. At first I didn’t want to write him because I can’t spell good but he said, “Hell, Robby, I can’t spell good, either. But I sure would love to get a letter from you.”

I did not tell my Grandma that Grandpa said the “h” word to me. He would have gotten in trouble because he was not supposed to use such language in front of the boy. I am the boy. Ha! That is what Grandma always called me. “Raymond, you shouldn’t use such language in front of the boy.” I miss her too but when she died I still had Grandpa. Now he died and I don’t have anybody.

I hope my mom doesn’t mind if my spelling is bad. I want to tell my mom about the mountain and the Lodge and Anthony and Marcus and Joseph. Especially Joseph because I want to go visit him at his house when we leave here even though he has a sister. I do NOT want to tell my mom about Stacey because my mom does not like it when I am in love with girls.

I want to tell my mom about Ms. McIntosh too. What I really want to tell her is what I heard Mr. and Mrs. Huffman say about Ms. McIntosh the other night. I don’t get what the whole big stinking deal is. Like why is it a big stinking secret? Mr. Huffman told Mrs. Huffman to keep quiet and not tell anybody anything. Mrs. Huffman said she didn’t see why he wouldn’t tell anyone but then he got mad and said, “Opal, I am asking you to just keep quiet about it all. Is that too much to ask?”

He did not ask me to keep quiet because he did not know I heard him. I think I will tell Ms. McIntosh about it. I know that she is sad because her mom died and I think she will be happy if I tell her.

It is almost time for bed and I am really tired. I am too tired to write my mom right now. Maybe Mr. Bryan could get me some crayons. I think I will draw Ms. McIntosh a picture of the big old cheese moon instead.