Chapter 8

1. David was treated as an outcast. The other kids would just turn at smile at him like he was some kind of freak. For example, even big Larry waved David off when he tried to talk to him.
•2. Gordon visited David because he had to inform him that he was to move into a new foster home. David felt very sad about the whole situation, he felt that the Catanzes had loved him more than hi real parents ever had.
•3. One rule was to never get to attached to anyone, and the second rule was to never take someone’s home for granted.
•4. Gordon had trouble finding a place for David to stay, even for a couple of days before he found a permanent home for him. All the home were either full or going to be full within a couple days.
•5. He meant that David might have to go back to Hillcrest for a couple of days until he found a foster home with room.
•6. David compared Gordon to a car salesman because of how quickly he could change his attitude so that he could persuade people.
•7. David’s new family was the Nulls family, Joanne and Michael Nulls.
•8. His new foster mom treated him as a little child. She hugged him, pinched his cheeks, and babied him.
•9. All David did was explore, read magazines, and watch television. He did this because Mrs. Nulls set many restrictions including his inability to ride his bicycle past the end of the his road.
•10. Joanne and Michael were constantly arguing, apparently because Michael had been having another affair, but David believed that he was the cause of their differences.
•11. David has been in three foster homes thus far.
•12. His second family was not nearly as reasonable as the first. They did not let him play or ride his bike more than a couple yards away from the house. Mrs. Nulls treated him like he was a little a baby, while her husband Michael thought David was nonexistent. Also, David was the only foster child in the home.
•13. Before Gordon left Vera’s house he warned David that mother’s house was off limits with a radius of one mile.
•14. There were seven other foster teenagers who lived in a makeshift room in the garage.
•15. Everyone in the home was always competing for Jody’s attention, and as cramped as things were there was a genuine family bond. Mattresses were crammed in every corner, and old lamps gave the home a soft glow.
•16. Jody was Vera's husband, who chuckled like Santa Claus and he loved playing with the children. Whenever he came everyone was at competition fro his attention.
•17. David’s new best friend was a kid named Carlos, a Hispanic boy. Carlos did not have a mean bone in his body, and could not speak English very well. Although David found it difficult it communicate with Carlos verbally, they had some kind of bond that made them understand each other instantly, without words.
•18. David runs into his brother Russell. Russell does not look good at all. He is wearing old, torn shoes and he has bruises all over his arms. It is obvious who Mother has made her next victim.
•19. I think he is concerned about what his mother is doing to his brothers and the rest of the family. He feels bad for just leaving his brothers behind, and he does not want the same type of abuse to be practiced on them.
•20. At school the next day, David saw his mother walking behind Russell.
•21. Jody was accused of statuary rape on a former female foster child.
•22. Most of the kids had to go to the Hill because there was no room in any other foster homes. Jody’s foster home had been closed permanently due to the accusation.
•23. David ends up staying with Alice’s foster home despite the fact that it was an all girl foster home. Alice smiled and asked him if he mined sleeping on the couch.