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Show 126 he never had lessons, just watched Kathleen play." "I'd like to hear you sometime, Karl," Yulyona told him. "Not right now," he said in a strangled voice. "That reminds me," she remarked, "tomorrow is the last day of the report card period, and you've never given me your sonnet. If you have it completed, I'll take it home with me and grade it tonight." "It's upstairs." Karl forced himself to stand and climb the steps, although he was unable to look at Yulyona when he passed her. He moved the underwear in his clothes chest to find the paper, which had fas and sols and res and tis written beneath each line of the sonnet. He'd planned to sing it to Yulyona after school the next day, but now he didn't know how he'd even face her in the classroom, after his father's earthy Comments about chamberpots and cold backsides. The day that had begun with such happiness lay wrecked in humiliation. Every day after school the following week, Kathleen taught Karl songs for the nickelodeon. Not until midweek did he learn why she was insisting on the daily lessons. "You know, Saturday's my birthday," she mentioned while she was showing him the chords for 'Hearts and Flowers.' "I almost forgot," he admitted. |