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outta the air too。
at this news； coach bryant get a real odd squint in his eyes； an he look off in the distance； as
if he was lookin all the way to the moon or somethin。 then he tell the goon to go fetch a football
an when the football e； coach bryant hissef tell me to run out a little ways an turn aroun。
when i do； he thowed the football at me。 i see it in almost like slow…motion but it bounce off
my fingers an fall on the ground。 coach bryant be noddin his head up an down like he should of
figgered this out earlier； but somehow i get the idea he is not pleased。
from the time i'；m little； ever time i do somethin wrong； my mama； she'；d say； 〃forrest； you
got to be careful； cause they gonna put you away。〃 i was so scairt of bein put in this 〃away〃 place
i'；d always try to be better； but i'；m damned if there'；s a worst place they could of sent me than this
ape dorm thing i'；m livin in。
people be doin shit they wouldn'；t of tolerated even in the nut school— rippin out the toilets；
for instance； so'；s you'；d go to the bathroom an wouldn'；t fine nothin but a hole in the floor to shit
in； an they'；d have heaved the toilet out the winder onto the top of somebody'；s car drivin past。 one
night some big ole goofball what played in the line got out a rifle an mence to shoot out all
the winders in somebody'；s fraternity house across the street。 the campus cops e rushin over；
but the feller drop a big outboard motor he found someplace out the winder onto the top of the
cop car。 coach bryant make him run a bunch of extra laps for doing that。
curtis an me ain'；t gettin along so hot； an i never been so lonely。 i miss my mama； an wanta
go back home。 trouble with curtis is； i don'；t understand him。 everthing he say got so many
cusswords in it； time i get to figgerin out what they are； i miss his point。 most of the time； i gather
his point is that he ain'；t happy bout somethin。
curtis had a car an he used to give me a ride to practice； but one day i go to meet him an he
cussin an growlin an bent over a big drain grate in the street。 seems he'；s got a flat tire an when he
go to change it he put the lug nuts in his hubcap and accidentally knock em down into the drain。
we fixin to be late to practice which was not real good to do； so'；s i say to curtis； 〃why don'；t you
take one lug nut off each of them three other tires an that way you will have three nuts on each
tire； which ought to be enough to get us to practice？〃
curtis stop cussin for a moment an look up at me an say； 〃you supposed to be a idiot； how
you figure that out？〃 an i say； 〃maybe i am a idiot； but at least i ain'；t stupid；〃 an at this； curtis
jump up an mence chasin me with the tire tool； callin me ever terrible thing he can think up；
an that pretty much ruin our relationship。
after that； i decide i got to find another place to stay； so when we git off from practice i
gone down into the basement of the ape dorm an spen the rest of the night there。 it wadn'；t no
dirtier than the upstairs rooms an there was an electric lightbulb。 nex day i moved my cot down
there an from then on； it was where i lived。
meantime； school is done started an they got to figger out what to do with me。 they was a
guy with the atheletic department that seemed to do nothin but figger out how to get dummos to
where they could pass a class。 some of the classes was sposed to be easy； such as physical
education； an they enroll me in that。 but also i have got to take one english course an one science
or math； an there is no gettin aroun that。 what i learnt later was that there was certain teachers
that would give a football player a sort of break； meanin that they'；d appreciate he is consumed
with playin football an cannot spend much of his time on school。 they was one of these teachers
in the science department； but unfortunately； the only class he taught was somethin called
〃intermediate light；〃 which was apparently for graduate physics majors or something。 but they
put me in there anyhow； even though i didn'；t know physics from phys…ed。
i was not so lucky in english。 they apparently did not have no sympathetic people over in
that department； so'；s they tole me just to go ahead an take the class an fail it； an they'；d figger out
somethin else later。
in intermediate light； they provide me with a textbook that weigh five pounds an look like a
chinaman wrote it。 but ever night i take it down to the basement an set on my cot under the
lightbulb； an after a wile； for some peculiar reason； it begun to make sense。 what did not make
sense was why we was sposed to be doin it in the first place； but figgerin out them equations was
easy as pie。 professor hooks was my teacher'；s name； an after the first test； he axed me to e to
his office after class。 he say； 〃forrest； i want you to tell me the truth； did somebody provide you
the answers to these questions？〃 an i shake my head； an then he han me a sheet of paper with a
problem written on it and says for me to set down an figger it out。 when i'；m thru； professor
hooks look at what i done an shake his head an say； 〃greatgodamighty。〃
english class was another deal entirely。 the teacher is a mister boone； an he a very stern
person who talk a lot。 at the end of the first day； he say for us to set down that night an write a
short autobiography of ourselfs for him。 it'；s jus bout the most difficult thing i ever try to do； but i
stay up most of the night； thinkin an writin； an i just say whatever e to mine on account of
they tole me to fail the class anyhow。
a few days later； mister boone start handin back our papers an he criticism an makin fun of
everbody'；s autobiography。 then he e to what i done； an i figger i'；m in the doghouse for sure。
but he hold up my paper an start readin it out loud to everbody an he mences laughin an
everbody else is too。 i had tole bout bein in the nut school； an playin football for coach fellers an
goin to th