1981 Page #2

Which country.

Nobody wants to guess?

Ricardo, tell us

where your name's from.

My dad is Italian.

Italian, that must be neat!

Do you speak Italian?

No, cause Mom's from here.

So, his name comes from Italy.

I think that'd be a great new word.

Ricardo, take some chalk

and write your name in the box.

It'll help us remember.

Aline?

I have a way to remember his name.

You do?

It's like Ricardo Crunchy!

Think you're funny?

Apologize right now.

It was a joke.

Apologize right now!

- I'm sorry.

- Stand up.

- Aline!

- Up, I don't have all day!

I'm sorry.

Anybody else have a funny joke?

Open your math books

to page 31, division.

I know it was just a joke,

but I'd heard that one about

Ricardo Crunchy so often.

I was used to it.

The whole family had heard it.

Someone had told it in 1942.

Someone else in 1912.

It went back all the way to 1894.

Plus, there are no other Trogis.

Someone tried to do our family tree

but they got nowhere.

There were no concentrations

of us, even in Italy.

And that meant

we descended from Gypsies.

And back then,

Gypsies didn't keep track.

They didn't use family names much.

The first Trogi wasn't even a Trogi.

He was some accordionist,

and suddenly it vanished

from his head.

He couldn't remember

his family name.

He must've tried,

but it never came back.

He took any old word.

Trogi!

And that word was Trogi.

What's going on?

Beat it, go play with your class.

I don't know anybody.

Neither do I.

You know me, silly.

That doesn't count.

OK, I overdid it,

but put yourself in my shoes.

In 6th grade, who wants

to hang out with immigrants?

Screw you!

You too!

After recess, it started to click.

I wasn't sure, but

it seemed kids in this school

had dough.

Maybe not millions,

but more than me.

Lots had mechanical pencils

like my old teacher,

and they cost a mint.

They had leather pencil cases.

It seemed obligatory.

Nobody had a plastic one like mine.

It might seem like a detail,

but that's just the start.

I'm sure lots of 'em

had in-ground swimming pools.

I could sense it. They all wore

sweatshirts and white turtlenecks.

It was the fashion.

Ricardo,

would you come up here, please?

Bring your book with you.

I hope you don't call that a book.

I didn't know we were reading.

Take this.

At St-Ex School everyone's read

The Little Prince.

I've already read it.

It'll have to do for today.

Did your teacher give dictations?

Not too often, no.

We do it every morning.

Really?

Do you know longhand?

Yes.

Perfect. Go sit down.

No, you can have it back

at the end of the day.

Aline, about the catalog...

Forget the catalog. Go sit down.

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