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couldn'；t believe it。
what happen nex caused a real change in my life。 one day i'；m strollin down the street on the
way home from nut school； an a car stop longside of me。 this guy call me over an axed my name。
i tole him； an then he axed what school i go to； an how e he ain'；t seen me aroun。 when i tell
him bout the nut school； he axed if i'；d ever played football。 i shook my head。 i guess i mighta tole
him i'；d seen kids playin it； but they'；d never let me play。 but like i said； i ain'；t too good at long
conversation； an so i jus shook my head。 that was about two weeks after school begun again。
three days or so later； they e an got me outta the nut school。 my mama was there； an so
was the guy in the car an two other people what look like goons— who i guess was present in case
i was to start somethin。 they took all the stuff outta my desk an put it in a brown paper bag
an tole me to say goodbye to miss margaret； an alls of a sudden she mence to start cryin an
give me a big ole hug。 then i got to say goodbye to all the other nuts； an they was droolin an
spasmoin an beatin on the desks with they fists。 an then i was gone。
mama rode up in the front seat with the guy an i set in back in between them goons； jus like
police done in them ole movies when they took you 〃downtown。〃 cept we didn'；t go downtown。
we went to the new highschool they had built。 when we got there they took me inside to the
principal'；s office an mama an me an the guy went in wile the two goons waited in the hall。 the
principal was an ole gray…haired man with a stain on his tie an baggy pants who look like he
coulda e outta the nut school hissef。 we all sat down an he begun splainin things an axein me
questions； an i just nodded my head； but what they wanted was for me to play football。 that much
i figgered out on my own。
turns out the guy in the car was the football coach； name of fellers。 an that day i didn'；t go
to no class or nothin； but coach fellers； he took me back to the locker room an one of the goons
rounded me up a football suit with all them pads an stuff an a real nice plastic helmet with a thing
in front to keep my face from gettin squished in。 the only thing was； they couldn'；t find no shoes
to fit me； so'；s i had to use my sneakers till they could order the shoes。
coach fellers an the goons got me dressed up in the football suit； an then they made me
undress again； an then do it all over again； ten or twenty times； till i could do it by mysef。 one
thing i had trouble with for a wile was that jockstrap thing— cause i couldn'；t see no real good
reason for wearing it。 well； they tried splainin it to me； an then one of the goons says to the other
that i'；m a 〃dummy〃 or somethin like that； an i guess he thought i wouldn'；t understand him； but i
did； on account of i pay special attention to that kind of shit。 not that it hurt my feelins。 hell； i
been called a sight worse than that。 but i took notice of it； nonetheless。
after a wile a bunch of kids started in into the locker room an takin out they football
stuff and gettin into it。 then we all went outside an coach fellers got everbody together an he
stood me up in front of them an introduced me。 he was sayin a bunch of shit that i wadn'；t
followin real close cause i was haf scared to death； on account of nobody had ever introduced me
before to a bunch of strangers。 but afterward some of the others e up an shook my hand an
say they is glad i am here an all。 then coach fellers blowed a whistle； what like to make me leap
outta my skin an everbody started jumpin around to get exercise。
it'；s a kind of long story what all happened nex； but anyway； i begun to play football。 coach
fellers an one of the goons hepped me out special since i didn'；t know how to play。 we had this
thing where you sposed to block people an they were tryin to splain it all； but when we tried it a
bunch of times everbody seemed to be gettin disgusted cause i couldn'；t remember what i was
sposed to do。
then they tried this other thing they call the defense； where they put three guys in front of
me an i am sposed to get thru them an grap the guy with the football。 the first part was easier；
cause i could just shove the other guys'； heads down； but they were unhappy with the way i
grapped the guy with the ball； an finally they made me go an tackle a big oak tree about fifteen or
twenty times— to get the feel of it； i spose。 but after a wile； when they figgered i had learnt
somethin from the oak tree； they put me back with the three guys an the ball carrier an then got
mad i didn'；t jump on him real vicious…like after i moved the others out of the way。 i took a lot of
abuse that afternoon； but when we quit practicin i went in to see coach fellers an tole him i didn'；t
want to jump on the ball guy cause i was afraid of hurtin him。 coach； he say that it wouldn'；t hurt
him； cause he was in his football suit an was protected。 the truth is； i wasn'；t so much afraid of
hurtin him as i was that he'；d get mad at me an they'；d start chasin me again if i wadn'；t real nice to
everbody。 to make a long story short； it took me a wile to get the hang of it all。
meantime i got to go to class。 in the nut school； we really didn'；t have that much to do； but
here they was far more serious about things。 somehow； they had worked it out so'；s i had
three homeroom classes where you jus set there an did whatever you wanted； an then three other
classes where there was a lady who was teachin me how to read。 jus the two of us。 she was real
nice an pretty and more'；n once or twice i had nasty thoughts about her。 miss henderson was her
name。
about the only class i liked was lunch； but i guess you couldn'；t call that a class。 at the nut
school； my mama would fix me a sambwich an a cookie an a piece of fruit— cept no bananas— an
i'；d take it to school with me。 but in this school they was a cafeteria with nine or ten different
things to eat an i'；d have trouble makin up my mind what i wanted。 i think somebody must of said
somethin； cause after a week or so coach fellers e up to me an say to just go ahead an eat all
i wanted cause it been 〃taken care of。〃 hot damn！
guess who should be in my homeroom class but jenny curran。 she e up to me in the
hall an say she remember me from first grade。 she was all growed up now； with pretty black hair
an she was long…legged an had a beautiful face； an they was other things too； i dare not mention。
the football was not goin exactly to the likin of coach fellers。 he seemed displeased a lot
an was always shoutin at people。 he shouted at me too。 they tried to figger out some way for me
to just stay put an keep other folks from grappin our guy carryin the ball； but that didn'；t work cept
when they ran the ball right up the middle of the line。 coach was not too happy with my tacklin
neither； an let me tell you； i spent a lot of time at that oak tree。 but i just couldn'；t get to where i
would thow mysef at the ball guy like they wanted me to do。 somethin kep me from it。
then one day a event happen that changed all that too。 in the cafeteria i had started gettin my
food and goin over to set nex to jenny curran。 i wouldn'；t say nothin； but she was jus bout the
only person in the school i knew halfways； an it felt good setting there with her。 most of the time
she didn'；t pay me no attention； an talked with other people。 at first i'；d been settin with some of
the football players； but they acted like i was invisible or somethin。 at least jenny curran acted
like i was there。 but after a wile of this； i started to notice this other guy was there a lot too； an he
starts makin wisecracks bout me。 sayin shit like 〃how'；s dumbo？〃 an all。 and this gone on for a
week or two； an i was sayin nothin； but finally i says— i can'；t hardly believe i said it even now—
but i says； 〃i ain'；t no dumbo；〃 an the