Lewis reached over and wiped my face. "I'm sorry, Miss Smith. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I won't do that no more."

I smiled and blew my nose. "It's ok. I just don't want you to ever think that I don't care. I do."

"I can't read good, Miss Smith."

"What?" I asked, incredulously.

"That's why I mess up the tests. I ain't bad in math. I can do arithmetic in my head, pretty good. But I can't read the words. Do that make sense?"

"Yes! Yes! It makes complete sense. I can help you with that, too," I said, thinking, 'how are you going to do that,...